Reading Theory "Like Poetry" (May 2020)

To read theory "like poetry" means letting the the reading process generate its own semantic space rather than simply trying to find some extant concept the words represent.

This should not, however, be seen as an excuse to abandon rigorous abduction. The territory that unfolds from the map will only be as fruitful as the judgment of the subject drawing it: one must still sensibly employ prior concepts the way one uses scaffolding when constructing a building if they want coherent and applicable results.

You're not driving a car but you're also not letting an animal run amok, you're riding an elephant.