[DCRM-L] literature of prejudice vs. polemical

Fri Jun 19 11:29:05 MDT 2009

I think we are doing ourselves a disservice by not making a clear
distinction between "prejudice" and "polemic."  The two are clearly
different. Our thesaurus has NTs under "Literature of prejudice" that could
easily belong under "Polemical literature", for example "Anti-clerical."
The distinction between "prejuduce" and "polemic" is between  unreasoned
opinion/hostility and reasoned argument (however strongly worded).

>From the OED:

prejudice, n.

I. Prejudgement.

    1. a. Preconceived opinion not based on reason or actual experience;
bias, partiality; (now) spec. unreasoned dislike, hostility, or antagonism
towards, or discrimination against, a race, sex, or other class of people.

------------------------------

hate, n.1

 1. a. An emotion of extreme dislike or aversion; detestation, abhorrence,
hatred. Now chiefly poet.

 b. The object of hatred. poetic.

2. b. Used attrib. or as quasi-adj.: designed to stir up hate, e.g. hate
campaign; marked or characterized by hate; hate mail, letters (often
anonymous) in which the senders express their hostility towards the
recipient.

DRAFT ADDITIONS JUNE 2002 

    hate, n.1

  * hate crime n. orig. U.S. a crime, usually violent, motivated by hatred
or intolerance of another social group, esp. on the basis of race or
sexuality; crime of this type; freq. attrib. (occas. in pl.), designating
legislation, etc., framed to address such crime.

---------------------------------

polemic, adj. and n.

A. adj.    Of the nature of, exhibiting, given to, or relating to dispute or
controversy; contentious, disputatious, combative

B. n.

    1. A controversial argument; a strong verbal or written attack on a
person, opinion, doctrine, etc.; (as a mass noun) writing or opinion of this
kind. Also: (in sing. and pl.) aggressive debate or controversy; the
practice of engaging in such debate.

  _____  

From: dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu [mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu] On
Behalf Of Schneider, Nina
Sent: Friday, June 19, 2009 12:57 PM
To: DCRM Revision Group List
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] literature of prejudice vs. polemical

I've been searching LCSH for some ideas. There's a subject heading
"Attitudes (Psychology)" in LCSH. There are also variations on "opinions."
If we feel it's necessary to change the genre term, we may want to look at
these. 

Nina 

+-------
Nina Schneider
Head Cataloger
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
2520 Cimarron Street
Los Angeles, CA  90018

323-731-8529
nschneider at humnet.ucla.edu

  _____  

From: dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu [mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu] On
Behalf Of Holly Phelps
Sent: Friday, June 19, 2009 8:19 AM
To: DCRM Revision Group List
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] literature of prejudice vs. polemical

Interesting discussion. 

I use the NTs but not the broader term. Does anyone? Would it be useful to
remove the term from the list, and just use something (Controversial
literature?) in brackets under [Content of work] - [Political works] in the
hierarchical list? I'd like to see the NTs stay grouped somehow.

H.A. Phelps

hphelps at librarycompany.org

  _____  

From: dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu [mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu] On
Behalf Of Dooley,Jackie
Sent: Friday, June 19, 2009 11:16 AM
To: DCRM Revision Group List
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] literature of prejudice vs. polemical

Yes, I get it. My point is that it's so soft as to be relatively
meaningless. How about "hate literature"? :) After all, our society calls
them "hate groups," not "polemical groups." Good literary warrant.

On 6/19/09 7:39 AM, "Deborah Leslie" <djleslie at folger.edu> wrote:

One of the things that came up in conversation was that we knew it when we
saw it, but couldn't find a non-derogatory name for it. "Polemical" isn't
necessarily derogatory, while "Prejudice" is. 

From: dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu [mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu] On
Behalf Of Dooley,Jackie
Sent: Friday, 19 June, 2009 10:29
To: DCRM Revision Group List
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] literature of prejudice vs. polemical

Strikes me as equally subjective-not to mention vague, since it could
include stuff with a much softer point of view than e.g. a John Birch or KKK
pub that is patently prejudicial to a particular group. -Jackie

On 6/19/09 7:16 AM, "Deborah Leslie" <djleslie at folger.edu> wrote:
I just had an epiphany. Some of you remember discussions held a few years
ago about the problem with the genre term "Literature of prejudice," which
violates the cataloger's ethic of labelling (works, people) in a way they
would not name themselves. But it is useful to have a term in the hierarchy
to collocate this kind of literature.

How about "Polemical literature"?

___________________________________________
Deborah J. Leslie, M.A., M.L.S.
Head of Cataloging, Folger Shakespeare Library
201 East Capitol St., s.E., Washington, D.C. 20003
202.675-0369 (phone) 202.675-0328 (fax)
djleslie at folger.edu  www.folger.edu

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