They think, the Europeans, and we interpret. They feel, the Europeans, and we relate what they feel in clear English prose. They wrote in the midst of absolute crisis, and we, in our calmness, explain the crisis. Show how their work implicitly or explicitly responds to the crisis. Account for the work in terms of the crisis! From our safe historical distance! From our safe geographical distance! From our safe cultural distance! Safely across the English Channel!
We defuse the text. We’re like those robots they send in on caterpillar tracks to inspect the device. We're like the besuited specialists who snip the cables. And if it blows – we smother the thought-bomb. To protect the English reader. To keep them outside the blast radius. To stop their heads exploding.
Work in Progress 