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Hiding in plain sight
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AI
DOI：10.1080/10253866.2026.2646904.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
This poem is an autoethnographic account of one vexing aspect of belonging to a secular variant of the People of the Book. The poem chronicles a classic scholar's dilemma: the thwarted quest for knowledge, a case of the hero's journey being side-tracked. It describes idiosyncratic retrieval strategies in the persona's environmental scanning repertoire. Familiarity and abundance overwhelm recall. Expedience hinders efficiency. Procrastination feeds distraction. Scholars often fetishize their libraries. The persona regards books as vibrant objects, willful agents who delight in scholars' dependence, hiding the wisdom so desperately sought. However chagrined, the persona repeatedly ignores the fool me once proverb. Books are blamed for intellect's shortcomings. Academic progress may stall until (and, sometimes, despite) the grail's discovery. Insight is elusive, even when ostensibly pinned down. Search may oscillate from impulsive to compulsive; momentum may supersede reflection. The persona's lived experience of urgency will be familiar to readers.
Keywords:
Poetry
books
vibrant objects
research practice
obstinance
Journal
C
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2.3
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