It’s taking me forever to finish Europe’s Angry Muslims. I’m interested in the subject, the author’s argument does not lack merit, I have plenty of time to read but there is a narrative device that the author employs which makes reading a chore rather than a pleasant experience.
The device I’m talking about is sign-posting. I’m not as opposed to sign-posting as some people are but this book’s author takes it way too far. It’s like he never met a sign-post that he didn’t passionately embrace. Literally every page contains at least one “as we will see in chapter 10” or “as I explained in chapters 6, 7 and 9.” The narrative becomes repetitive and circular. The constant references to future chapters create the feeling that the author is bored with whatever he is discussing at the moment. The question in the back of the reader’s mind is, “Well, if chapter 10 is so crucial, why not just skip straight to it and save myself the bother?”
One good result of all this is that I’m now scouring the article I’m currently writing in an effort to remove anything resembling a sign-post.
Avoid sign-posting, people. Or at least keep it to the introduction.
Clarissa's Blog 
Yes. I’ve been telling people to cut down on sign posting for a while.
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This isn’t so much sign posting as much as it is lazy billboarding …
When it’s overdone, it reminds me of signs I saw in the southeastern United States that advertise a place called Rock City.
“See Rock City — just 393 miles!”
I’ve never had the desire to see Rock City, and I have yet to see it.
I’m aware it exists, and yet I’m aware I couldn’t give a toss about it.
As for this author’s habits …
“In chapter 10, I fling myself upon a Procrustean edifice of my own creation, something that arose by my complete failure to understand how to build narratives while presenting my arguments and cases, so stay tuned — the odds-makers give me only a 10% chance to survive the onslaught of the razor-barbed reviews, and it should be plainly obvious that I don’t even control one Redditor who would support me, let alone a Reddit upvote army …”
🙂
Also, “sign posting” reminds me of signs that indicate you’ve just entered a town — I prefer to mock these signs openly:
[SHEFFIELD] —
[Welcomes inattentive, careless drivers who haven’t paid for insurance cover] …
[WELLS] —
[Welcomes movie crews, comedians, baby-eating bishops, and shotgun-wielding priests] …
🙂
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And now imagine this billboard stuck at every 5 miles of the road. Soon enough, you’d start wondering whether Rock City was worth the aggravation.
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That is in fact the interval at which “See Rock City” signs appear to be planted on those motorways, so now you see why I made that association. 🙂
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“See Rock City — just 393 miles!”
This is an old marketing technique dating from the beginning of the car era.
In addition to Rock City, the “roadside attractions” Wall Drug and South of the Border use this technique as well (I’m sure there are others). I managed to miss Rock City, but I have been to both Wall Drug and South of the Border*
There’s also the old Burma Shave ads.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Drug
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_of_the_Border_%28attraction%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma-Shave
That completes today’s lesson in Americana, join us next week in our journey along the highways and byways of this great land!
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I’ve been to Wall Drug somewhat out of desperation — it’s the only place with reliably clean hotels and a hot meal for many miles around.
[advises any of you taking Interstate 90 to pack a bit more than a lunch — if you think the A1(M) is long, you’re in for a shock …]
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[sticks a bunch of “Visit Wookey Hole” signs in this thread just so Americans don’t suddenly believe they have a monopoly on this kind of thing] 🙂
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The writer Geoff Dyer had the last word on this academic trend in a brilliant and hilarious review of a book by Michael Fried featuring narcissistic signposting:
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I’m now looking forward to a sequel in which Michael Fried announces what he isn’t going to do in each chapter, culminating in a grandiose, “Screw you guys, I’m going home”, sort of moment. 🙂
[now also imagines Michael Fried as an academic Cartman from “South Park”]
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