Advanced English
《高级英语》
（第三版）
第二册
主编：张汉熙
外语教学与研究出版社
Lesson 4
Love Is a Fallacy
by Max Shulman
Teaching Points
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I. Background knowledge
II. Special terms in logic
III. Language points
IV. Text Analysis
V. Rhetorical devices
VI. Writing
Max Shulman

Max Shulman (March 14, 1919–August 28,
1988) was an American writer and humorist
best known for his television and short story
character Dobie Gillis, as well as for bestselling novels.
Early life and career

Max Shulman's earliest published writing was
for Ski-U-Mah, the college humor magazine
of the University of Minnesota, in the 1930s.
His writing often focused on young people,
particularly in a collegiate setting. In 1943 he
wrote his first novel, Barefoot Boy With
Cheek, a satire on college life, while still a
student.
Later career

Shulman's works include the novels Rally
Round the Flag, Boys!, which was made into
a film starring Paul Newman and Joanne
Woodward; The Feather Merchants; The
Zebra Derby; Sleep till Noon; and Potatoes
are Cheaper.

In 1954 he co-wrote (with Robert Paul Smith)
the Broadway play The Tender Trap starring
Robert Preston, which was later adapted into
a movie starring Frank Sinatra and Debbie
Reynolds. He wrote the libretto for the 1968
musical How Now, Dow Jones, which was
nominated for a Tony Award for Best Musical.

Shulman's collegiate character, Dobie Gillis,
was the subject of a series of short stories
compiled under the title The Many Loves of
Dobie Gillis, which became the basis for the
1953 movie The Affairs of Dobie Gillis,
followed by a CBS television series, The
Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959-1962).

Shulman was a script writer for the series and
also wrote the series' theme song. The same
year the series began, Shulman published a
Dobie Gillis novel, I Was a Teenage Dwarf
(1959). After his success with Dobie Gillis,
Shulman syndicated a humor column, "On
Campus," to over 350 collegiate newspapers
at one point.

A later novel, Anyone Got a Match?, satirized
both the television and tobacco industries, as
well as the South and college football. His
last major project was House Calls, which
began as a 1978 movie based on one of his
stories; it spun off the 1979-1982 television
series of the same name, starring Wayne
Rogers and Lynn Redgrave in the leads.
Shulman was the head writer.

Also a screenwriter, Shulman was one of the
collaborators on a 1954 non-fiction television
program, Light's Diamond Jubilee, timed to
the 75th anniversary of the invention of the
light bulb.

Max Shulman died August 28, 1988, of bone
cancer at the age of 69 in Los Angeles,
California .
Special terms in logic
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argument--a statement which is offered as an
evidence or a proof.
It consists of two major elements
 1. conclusion
 2. premises -- a previous statement serving as a
basis for an argument.
Conclusion is to be drawn from premises.
Special terms in logic

fallacy -- false reasoning, as in an argument
 a weakness and lack of logic or good sense in an
argument or piece of reasoning

Usually, an argument is correct (deductively valid) if
the premises can provide enough conclusive evidence
for the conclusion. Otherwise the argument is wrong.
It is said to be fallacious.
Special terms in logic

Three kinds of fallacy:
 1. material fallacy -- in its material content through
a misstatement of the facts.
 2. verbal fallacy -- in its wording through an
incorrect use of terms.
 3. formal fallacy-in its structure through the use of
an improper process of inference.
False Analogy(类比失当 )


"High school should not require a freshman writing
course . Harvard doesn't require a freshman writing
course, and the students get along fine without it".
--- The analogy is false because the two items don't
have strong enough similarities to predict that what
happens in one will happen in the other.
Dicta Simpliciter(绝对判断 )
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"Everyone wants to get married someday."
--- The example starts a logical train of thought
with an assumption that is false. Not "everyone"
wants to get married.
Evading the issue (文不对题)

There are a number of handy fallacies that
people press into service to side step a problem
while appearing to pursue the point.
1）Distraction
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"Suds ' n ' Puds is a great restaurant : you can see how
shining clean the kitchens are ".
--- The example is called distraction because the
reader's attention is drawn to the cleanliness of the
kitchen instead of to the excellence of the food, which
is usually the determiner of a great restaurant.
2）Ad hominem (人身攻击 )

"against the person". "poisoning the well"
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" Ms Bauer is a terrible English teacher. She always
wears blue jeans"
--- Instead of point out faults in teaching technique, it
calls attention to things about a teacher as a person that
are unrelated to her teaching performance.
3）Ad misericordian (博取同情/诉诸怜
悯 )

"Look at this fourteen-year-old child who's run
away from home to hide her shame-- pregnant,
unwashed, friendless. penniless, at the mercy of
our social service agencies. Can you still claim
that sex should be taught in the classroom?"
3）Ad misericordian (an appeal to pity)

--- In this shifty approach to argumentation, the
writer gives tear jerking descriptions of the
cruel opponents' victims in order to arouse
sympathy from the reader.
Hasty Generalization(草率结论 )

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"Mr. Wang's handwriting is terrible. Mr. Hu's
handwriting is also terrible and you know how terrible
men's handwriting is ."
--- It applies a special case to general rule. That fact
that certain person's handwriting is bad doesn't imply
that all men‘s handwriting is bad.
Post hoc(牵强附会 /事后归因/假性因果 )
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“After this, therefore because of this"
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"The last five times that I've worn my white pants,
something depressing has happened. I'm not going to
wear those pants again!"
-- This fallacy assumes that if event Y happened after
event X, then X must be the cause of Y.
Circular Reasoning (循环推理）

or Begging the question:

"Juan is an impressive speaker because he always
touches his listeners deeply."
Circular Reasoning

--- This problem occurs when the writer tries to support a
claim by restating it in different words. You can tell this
example is circular by considering this “Why is Juan an
impressive speaker?” “Because he touches his listeners
deeply.?” “Why are Juan's listeners touched so deeply?”
“Because he is an impressive speaker.”
 impressive = touching someone deeply
Appeal to the Wrong Authority(诉诸权威 )

“My political science teacher says that the
new math is impossible for children to learn”.

--- If the student believes that political science
teacher's low opinion of new math strongly
supports an argument against new math, the student
is wrong. The political science teacher is an
authority, but in a different field.
Non Sequitur -- “it doesn’t follow”(由无关的
证据得出结论 )
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“Students who take earth science instead of physics are
lazy. Susie took earth science instead of physics. Susie
should be kicked out of school.”
--- If the first statement is correct, then you could
conclude that Susie is lazy. But there's nothing in that
line of reasoning that says lazy students should be
kicked out of school. The conclusion doesn’t follow.
II. Language points:

title -- humorous/ well chosen
 1. When "fallacy" is taken in its ordinary sense, the title
means:
 There is a deceptive or delusive quality about love.
Love has delusive qualities
2. When "fallacy" is having logical sense, it means :
 Love cannot be deduced from a set of given premises.
 Love can not follow the given rules.
 Love is an error, a deception and an emotion that does
not follow the principles of logic.


Charles Lamb (1775-1834)
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English essayist and critic who is now best known
for his "Essays of Elia" (1823,1833). He
collaborated with his sister Mary in adapting
Shakespeare's plays into stories for children.
"Tales from Shakespeare"
"Specimens of English Dramatic Poets"
Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)

English author, Scottish writer

He influenced social thinking about he new
industrial working class through his essay
"Chartism" and his book “The Present and the
Past”. He is best known for his epic history of
“The French Revolution” 1837 and his lectures
“On Heroes and Hero-Workshop” 1841
Thomas Carlyle ( 1795-1881)

He produced Sartor Resartus（衣裳哲学/旧衣新裁）
1833-34, the book in which he first developed his
characteristic style and thought. This book is a veiled
sardonic (scornful 挖苦的) attack upon the shams and
pretences of society, upon hollow rank, hollow
officialism, hollow custom, out of which life and
usefulness have departed.
Thomas Carlyle ( 1795-1881)
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Carlyle developed a peculiar style of his own which
was called --- "Carlyese" "Carlylism"
Style -- a compound of
 biblical phrases
 colloquialisms
 Teutonic （条顿的，日尔曼的）twists
 his own coinings arranged in unexpected
sequences.
John Ruskin -- (1819-1900)
English critic and social theorist
 a writer on art and architecture
 In his later writings he attacked social and economic problems
 Modern Painters
 The Stones of Venice
 The Seven Lamps of Architecture
 Time and Tide
 Positive program for social reforms:
 Sesame and Lilies （芝麻和百合）
 The Crown of Wild Olive
 The King of the Golden River
What is his purpose of writing this essay?

He compared logic to a living thing ( a human being).
Logic is not at all a dry learned branch of learning. It is
like a living human being, full of beauty, passion and
painful emotional shocks.
Author’s note
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1) His own idea about his own essay.

From his point of view, his essay is sth limp,
spongy. It is very informal.

2) His own idea about the purpose of that essay.

It is not a dry branch of learning , but like a
human being.
acute, astute
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acute-- (senses, sensation, intellect)
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五官，感受，智力
able to notice small differences
Dogs have an acute sense of smell.
astute -- shrewd , quick at seeing how to gain an
advantage
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clever and able to see quickly sth, that is to one's
advantage.精明的，狡黠的
comparison
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His brain –
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1. dynamo -- powerful
2. a chemist's scales--- precise, accurate
3. scalpel -- penetrating
Para.5
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introduction of the first antagonist –
Petey Burch
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He downgrades his roommate.
nothing upstairs -- (Am. slang) empty-headed
negation
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--- the lack or opposite of sth. positive, The
opposite or absence of something regarded as
actual, positive, or affirmative.
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Reason
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--- the ability to think, draw conclusions
Fads / passing fashions, in my opinion, show a
complete lack of reason.
Raccoon
浣熊 the fur of a
small, tree
climbing
mammal of N.
America, having
yellowish gray
fur and a black,
bushy ringed tail.
呈环状花纹的尾
巴
Couple Wearing Raccoon Coats with a
Cadillac
mixed metaphor:
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1. brain -- a precision instrument
2. brain -- a machine that has gears
gracious --- polite
kind
 pleasant
What are the specifications of his future wife?
 1. beautiful
 2. gracious
 3. intelligent
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
1925 Stutz Bearcat
Stutz Bearcat
1925 Stutz Bearcat
Stutz Bearcat

The original Stutz Bearcat was produced
from 1912 through 1916 by Stutz Motor
Company. It used a 6388 cc I4 engine. Later
models were produced through the early 20s.
They differed from the first versions by having
enclosed bodies, first with short "step over"
sideswalls, later with opening doors.
no small
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Understatement---Restraint or lack of emphasis in
expression, as for rhetorical effect. .保守的陈述, 掩饰
litotes --- A figure of speech consisting of an
understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by
negating its opposite, as in: This is no small problem.
曲言法, 间接表达法, 反语法 (以反面的否定代替肯定
的词格, 如:no easy 代替 very difficult, not bad 代替 very
good 等)
metaphor:
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Polly's mind -- the extinct crater of a volcano
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extinct -- no longer burning
Her Intelligence -- embers ( ashes of a dying fire) 余烬
hypothesis
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-- an idea which is thought suitable to explain the facts
about sth.
an idea which is suggested as a possible explanation for
a particular situation or condition, but which has not
yet been proved to be correct.
eg. People have proposed all kinds of hypothesis about
what these things are.
She was a fit…
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Here the narrator described the role which he
thinks, a wife should play.
well-heeled : (American slang) rich, prosperous
Pygmalion (mythology)
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Pygmalion is a legendary figure of Cyprus.
Though Pygmalion is the Greek version of
the Phoenician royal name Pumayyaton,he is
most familiar from Ovid's Metamorphoses, X,
in which Pygmalion is a sculptor who falls in
love with a statue he has made.
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In Ovid's narrative, Pygmalion was a Cypriot
sculptor who carved a woman out of ivory.
According to Ovid, after seeing the Propoetides
prostituting themselves, he is 'not interested in
women', but his statue is so realistic that he falls
in love with it. He offers the statue gifts and
eventually prays to Venus (Aphrodite). She takes
pity on him and brings the statue to life. They
marry and have a son, Paphos:
"...a lovely boy was born;
Paphos his name, who grown to manhood, wall'd
The city Paphos, from the founder call'd."
and in some versions also a daughter, Metharme.
Étienne Maurice Falconet: Pygmalion et
Galatée (1763)
That did it. -
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That was the final straw. That made me lose my
patience.
That make me lose my self-control
This idiomatic phrase is used very often in English and
the meaning depends largely on the context in which it
is used.
"that" -- what has gone before "Polly's last answer"
"it" -- the result or consequence brought about by "that"
Frankenstein

The young student in Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
(1797--1851) romance of that name (1818), a classic
horror story. Frankenstein made a soulless monster
out of corpses from church-yards and dissectingrooms and endued （赋予）it with life by galvanism.
（流电疗法） The tale shows the creature longed for
sympathy, but was shunned (躲避) by everyone and
became the instrument of dreadful retribution （惩罚）
on the student who usurped the prerogative （特权）
of the creator
Text analysis
The main idea of this lesson
 It is about a law student who tries to marry the
girl after suitable re-education, but he's been too
clever for his own good.
 The narrator, Dobie Gillis, a freshman in a law
school, is the protagonist
Protagonist:
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

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a law school student
very young
clever
over-conceited -- cool, logical, keen, calculating,
perspicacious, acute, astute,

powerful, precise, penetrating
Antagonists
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1. Petey Burch -- pitiful, dump, roommate, faddist
2. Polly Espy --- beautiful, gracious, stupid
Organizational Pattern
4 sections
 Sect. I para 1-3
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It is the author's note.
1. The author's idea about this story.
2. The author's idea about the purpose of this story.
Sect II para. 4 --59
the bargain between the law student and his
roommate over the exchange of the girl,

sub-divisions:
 1) para 4 introduction of the narrator -- protagonist
 2) paras 5-21 introduction of the first antagonist -- Petey
Burch
 He downgrades his roommate, who has nothing upstairs.
 3) paras 22 -- 27 introduction of he second antagonist -Polly Espy
 4) paras 28--40 sounding out / finding out the relationship
between Petey and Polly.
 5) paras 40 --59 unethical transaction over Polly
 The student gives the raccoon coat the roommate wants,
and his roommate gives his girl friend in return. They
have a kind of deal.

Sect III. paras 60 -- 124
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10 sub-divisions:
1. paras 60 --61
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the teaching of 8 logical fallacies
a survey, first date with the girl, first impression of the
girl. He tries to find out how stupid she is.
2. paras 62 -- 74 the teaching of Dicto
Simpliciter
3. Paras 75 -- 79 the teaching of Hasty
Generalization
4. paras 80--85 Post Hoc
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5. paras 86 --96 Contradictory Premises
6. paras 97--98 interposition, He wants to give
the girl back
7. paras 99 --104 Ad Misericordiam
8. paras 105--108 False Analogy
9. paras 109-- 114 Hypothesis Contrary to Fact
10.paras 115--124 Poisoning the Well

Sect.IV. Para 125– the ending of the story
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
backfiring of all the arguments
The girl learns her lessons too well. She uses all the
logical fallacies to fight back her teacher.
Pay attention to the change of his emotions:
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1. favoring her with a smile
2. chuckled with amusement
3. chuckled with somewhat less amusement
4. forcing a smile/ ground my teeth
5. croaked, dashed perspiration from my brow
6. bellowing like a bull
The chief attraction of this lesson

It's humorous.


The whole story is a piece of light, humorous satire, satirizing a
smug, self-conceited freshman in a law school.
Why :

1) the title


The title is humorous. The writer wants the readers to conclude that
"love" is an error, a deception and an emotion that does not follow
the principles of logic.
2) the author's note

"spongy", "limp", "flaccid" are specific
characteristics of his essay. He is joking, which
indicates that the whole story is humorous.



3) the contrast - the law student & the girl & Petey
 boasting himself ----- downgrading the others
 the student ---- the girl
4) the ending of the story
 the raccoon coat which the law student despises and
gives it to his roommate for the exchange of his girl
friend has finally become the root cause of his losing his
girl friend.
5) the clever choice of the names
 Pettey ---- pity
 Espy ---- I spy
Language features:
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
1. American colloquialism
2. Informal style
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short sentences
elliptical sentences --- to increase the tempo of the
story
dashes
3. rhetorical devices
simile, metaphor, hyperbole, metonymy, and
antitheses

4. sharp contrast in the language

1) the law student uses ultra learned terms



2) clipped vulgar forms, slang words


standard English
100% correct
gee, magnif, terrif, pshaw,
5. inverted sentences
Questions for discussion:


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1. Can you find any evidence to support the
view that the writer is satirizing a bright but
self-satisfied young man?
2. What is purpose of this essay or story?
What method does the writer employ?
3. Why does the narrator refer to Pygmalion
and Frankenstein?
4. What narrative voice is used in this story?
Can we readers always rely on what the
narrator tells us?