Summary-of-Love-is-a-Fallacy

SummaryoftheTextThisessaysurpassestheveryinformalwritingstyleofCharlesLamb,whowasextraordinarilyimaginativeandenterprising,andindeeddemonstratesthefunandbeautyoflogic.Itistoldbythemaincharacterwhosenameisneverrevealed.Thoughonly18yearsold,Iwastheeliteofmypeers.OneFridayafternoonIfoundmystupidroommatePeteyBurchlyinginbedingreatdistress.AtfirstIthoughthewasillbutthenIdiscoveredhewasdesperateforaraccooncoat,thefadatthattime,declaringhewouldgiveanythingforit.ItoccurredtomethatIcouldgetanoldraccooncoatfrommyfatherandexchangeitforsomethingIhadbeencovetingforsometime--hisgirlfriendPollyEspy.ThenextMondaymorning,Ireturnedtoschoolandshowedhimthehairycoat.Hewentcrazy.However,hewasnotsohappywhenItoldhimmyrequest.AfterlongthoughthegaveinandallowedmetodatethebeautifulPolly.MyfirstdatewithPollyonTuesdayeveningdisappointedmesomuchthatIalmostreturnedhertoPetey,forsheseemedtoofoolishtobemywife.However,herphysicalcharmswereirresistiblesoIdecidedtoteachhertothinkandtolearnlogic.Thenexttime,atthecampustrystingplaceItaughtherthefallaciescalledDictoSimpliciter,HastyGeneralization,PostHoc,andContradictoryPremises,butherheadwaslogic-proof.AgainIwantedtogiveherbacktoPetey.Yet,inforapenny,inforapound.IdecidedtoteachherAdMisericordiam,FalseAnalogy,HypothesisContrarytoFact,andPoisoningtheWell.Atthisfinalfallacy,aglimmerofintelligencesparkedinhereyes.IenthusiasticallyfolloweditupwithareviewofallIhadtaughther.Myfivegruelingnightspaidwell:IhadfinallymadealogicianoutofPolly.Whennextwesatunderouroaktree,Itriedtochangeourrelationshipfromacademictoromantic,onlytofindeachofmyromanticphrasesandproposalsrefutedbyherasfallacies,finallyrejectingmeinfavorofPetey!Atmyquestionforthereasonofhernotgoingoutwithme,shesaidthatthatveryafternoonshehadpromisedtogosteadywithPetey.Iwasfurious,andaskedherforthelogicalreasonforherpreferenceofPeteyoverme.Polly'sanswerwasthatPercyhadgotaraccooncoat!TheraccooncoatthatIdislikedandabhorredandhadgiventoPeteyfortheprivilegeofdatingPollywasnowtheveryinstrumentofmyundoing!Loveisdelusiveandlogicallyunpredictable!Style&AppreciationThetitleofthestory,humorousandwellchosen,hastwomeanings:whenfallacyistakenliterally,thetitlemeans:Loveisdeceptiveanddelusive.Whentakenwithitslogicalmeaning,thetitlemeans:Lovecannotbededucedfromasetofgivenpremises.Thestoryissatirizingaself-conceitedfreshmaninalawschool--thenarratorofthestory.Hegoesaroundsmuglyboastingandpraisinghimselfateverychancehegets.FromPara.4,hebeginstoemployallthebeautifulwordshecanthinkof,likecool,powerful,preciseandpenetratingtodescribehimself.Meanwhile,hetakeseveryopportunitytorundownPeteyBurch,callinghimdumb,nothingupstairs,unstable,impressionableandafaddist,andPollyEspyasabeautifuldumbgirl,whomightsmartenupunderhisguidance.Thepurposeofthisessayistodemonstratethatlogicisaliving,breathingthing,fullofbeauty,passion,andtrauma,farfrombeingadry,pedanticsubject.Humorously,thewriterexaggerateseverysituation,withtheresultthatlogicbecomesaninterestingsubject.Thelogicallinkofpassageideasislogic--alivingthing---exchangeofaraccooncoatforaprettybutfoolishgirl---teachinghertobelogicalandclever”---aPygmalionbecomesaFrankenstein,thusthethemeLogicisfun;loveisnotforlove'ssakebutforfashion'ssake,forwealth'ssake.Toachievehispurpose,thewriteremploysavarietyofwritingtechniquesandalexicalspectrum--fromtheultra-learnedtermsusedbytheconceitednarratortotheinfra-clippedvulgarformsofPollyEspy--tomakehisstoryvalid,dramaticandcolorful.Hisfigurativelanguage,grammaticalinversionforspecialemphasis,shortsentences,ellipticalsentencesanddashesthroughoutthestoryaddtotheimmediacyofthestory.Forinstance,PollyEspy'sexclamatorywordslikeGee,Oo,Wow-dowandclippedvulgarformslikedelish,marvy,sensaysh,etc.createtheimpressionofasimpleandratherstupidgirl,contrastingstronglywiththeboastingofthenarrator,andthusincreasingtheforceofsatireandirony.Again,everymanhasafooluphissleeve.InPara.145,thenarratorarguesthatthethingsyoulearninschooldon'thaveanythingtodowithlife,committingafallacyofDictoSimpliciterhimselfinhisfinaldesperateattempttomakePollyEspyforgetthefallacieshehastaughtherandconvinceherthathelovesherandthatsheshouldgosteadywithhim.Topic-centeredparagraphwritingisalsooneofthefeatures.TakePara.50forexample.Itstopicsentenceisthesecondsentence—Hewasatornman.Thewriterdevelopstheparagraphbydescribingthebehavioroftheman,usingillustrativeexamplestodevelopthethemestatedinhistopicsentence.Also,hisallusionsareaptlychosen.ThenarratorreferstoPygmalionandFrankensteinbecausehecourtsPollyandPollyrefuseshim.HegetsthesameresultasFrankensteindid.Heisdestroyedbythemonsterhehascreated,whereasPygmalionwaslovedbythestatueofGalatea.TheconclusionisironicinthatthewholethingbackfiresonthenarratorwhenPollyrefutesallhisargumentsaslogicalfallaciesbeforefinallyrejectinghim.Hehasbecomethevictimofhisowncleverness;heistoocleverforhisowngood.Affluencehasreplacedlove,thusthereisnoquestionoftakingbrilliance,talent,oreducationintoconsiderationwhenchoosingaboyfriendandahusband.IthasreducedthesearchtoamatterofseekingwealthandkeepingupwiththeJoneses.Indee