Talk:George Steiner

Removed evaluative language
I took out some remarks about how wonderful Steiner is and how "some" see his work as contra "nihilistic" criticism (deconstruction, anyone?). I like Steiner's work myself, but I thought this was supposed to be an unedited encyclopedia.

Also, merely reporting Steiner as criticer without noting his enduring interest in, & contribution to, translation studies is impermissibly vague.

I'd like the article to say something about Steiner's interest in religion and the sacral nature of language/literature, but I don't know his work well enough to do so. Anyone else? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Andersonblog (talk • contribs) 13:17, November 19, 2006

Non-statement
The article reads: "Some consider him both a polyglot and a polymath" There is no room for opinion here. He either does speak more than one language -in which case he is a polyglot- or he does not. The matter of polymathy may be a slightly more grey area, but it would still need to be footnoted. And footnoted to a serious source, not the blog of some sycophantic student of his. Saying "some people" is the most cowardly of dodges and, quite frankly, carries very little weight. Oulipal (talk) 10:27, 19 September 2011 (UTC)


 * The statement was sourced from an article in The Guardian here, which is not a blog, and from what I can see, the author is not a student of Steiner. I've reworded the statement to reflect its source. —Bruce1eetalk 11:01, 19 September 2011 (UTC)

I think you need to be more than bilingual or trilingual to be called a polyglot. Seadowns (talk) 15:32, 11 March 2020 (UTC) It is a question of what weight people give the evidence.Seadowns (talk) 00:24, 13 March 2020 (UTC)
 * Then find sources that say that Steiner was not a polymath. I am finding your obsessive pursuit on this page of Steiner after his death to be disturbing. Xxanthippe (talk) 00:36, 13 March 2020 (UTC).

the use of 'public houses'?
If that's a euphemism for brothel, and I can't think what else it could be, it's got to go. In my 40 years on this planet I've heard no shortage of terms--disorderly house--but never that one, which I thought meant a place for a pint and was generally abbreviated to 'pub'. Can't we just say 'brothel' and be done with it? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.12.80.235 (talk) 17:56, 17 July 2014 (UTC)

Assessment comment
Substituted at 16:02, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

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Plagiarism
Numerous parts of the article are lifted directly from here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/mar/17/arts.highereducation 79.70.168.210 (talk) 13:33, 7 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Text "lifted directly" from the Guardian is quoted, and the Guardian article is cited as the source. That's not plagiarism. —Bruce1eetalk 14:35, 7 September 2017 (UTC)

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Knowledge of Greek?
The article gives the impression that Steiner could read Homeric Greek from the age of six. Some verification seems to be required. Seadowns (talk) 14:45, 1 December 2019 (UTC)
 * That statement is supported by three reliable sources, The Guardian, the San Francisco Chronicle and the University of Chicago Magazine. —Bruce1eetalk 15:42, 1 December 2019 (UTC)

The three sources are just three journalists who have picked up the same item. They are not witnesses. Perhaps there is some solid evidence somewhere. Seadowns (talk) 23:20, 1 December 2019 (UTC)
 * All three are reliable sources WP:Verifiability not truth. Xxanthippe (talk) 21:36, 2 December 2019 (UTC).

I know from a totally reliable person that .... but this is not an acceptable source for Wikipedia. Does anybody know of an acceptably verifiable source for this? Seadowns (talk) 17:54, 8 March 2020 (UTC)
 * A source is not needed because the matter is not mentioned in the BIO. I suggest you WP:drop the stick. Xxanthippe (talk) 01:47, 13 March 2020 (UTC).
 * I am afraid I don't understand either sentence. If there were a source this would be significant, wouldn't it? The next sentence -- what is the stick? Is it a metaphor? Seadowns (talk) 20:22, 13 March 2020 (UTC)
 * The purpose of article Talk pages is to improve the article, not to express personal opinions. Wikipedia does not provide a blog for its users. There have been similar comments made on your own talk page. I have removed unsourced gossip inserted here by you. Xxanthippe (talk) 00:43, 14 March 2020 (UTC).
 * The article is there to give information about Steiner. If he claimed to know all of Homer's epics by heart that is important information from which at least one conclusion can be drawn. In appealing for somebody who might have an acceptable source for this I was indeed trying to improve the article by making it more informative, and give a fuller picture of Steiner. I know it to be true, because I heard it from an ultra-reliable Cambridge graduate who attended his lectures. It was not mere gossip picked up in a pub or somewhere. His claim to have taught Bach, which I earlier mentioned and you removed, was also not gossip, but can be found, in his own words, on the internet. That too helps to fill in the picture of the man, useful for readers of his works to bear in mind. Seadowns (talk) 19:35, 14 March 2020 (UTC)e

I wish to withdraw my scepticism (as Seadowns) about his reading Greek at age 6. It was inadequately based. Esedowns (talk) 19:38, 7 April 2022 (UTC) To explain the above, I have realised that any bright young person, such was I was, reading English at 6, given up to a day to learn the Greek alphabet, could have read out words from Homer, and this could be called reading Homeric Greek. Esedowns (talk) 15:08, 11 April 2022 (UTC)