Editing Denis Dutton (section)

==Criticism of academic prose==
As editor of the journal ''[[Philosophy and Literature]]'', Dutton ran the Bad Writing Contest, which aimed to "expose 'pretentious, swaggering gibberish' passed off as scholarship at leading universities".<ref name=woo /> In 1995, the contest was won by [[Homi K. Bhabha]] and [[Fredric Jameson]].<ref>{{Cite web | last = Dutton | first = Denis | title = The Bad Writing Contest: Press Releases, 1996–1998 | work = DenisDutton.com | access-date = 2010-10-30 | year = 1998 | url = http://denisdutton.com/bad_writing.htm | archive-date = 4 March 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304022732/http://denisdutton.com/bad_writing.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref> In 1998, the contest awarded first place to philosopher and [[University of California-Berkeley]] Professor [[Judith Butler]], for a sentence which appeared in the journal ''[[Diacritics (journal)|diacritics]].''<ref name="language-crimes">{{Cite news | last = Dutton | first = Denis | title = Language Crimes: A Lesson in How Not to Write, Courtesy of the Professoriate | work = The Wall Street Journal | access-date = 2010-10-30 | date = 5 February 1999 | url = http://www.denisdutton.com/language_crimes.htm | archive-date = 25 January 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110125094335/http://www.denisdutton.com/language_crimes.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref> Butler defended their work against the charges of academic [[pedantry]] and [[obscurantism]] in the pages of ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref>{{Cite news | last = Butler | first = Judith | title = A 'Bad Writer' Bites Back | work = The New York Times | access-date = 2010-10-30 | date = 20 March 1999 | url = https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/wash/www/butler.htm | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111008194554/https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/wash/www/butler.htm | archive-date = 8 October 2011 }}</ref> Dutton then ended the contest.

The Bad Writing Contest emerged in an intellectual climate dominated by the fallout from the [[Sokal affair]],<ref name=leo>{{cite news|work=The Washington Times|date=13 March 1999| title=Pomobabble rooted in ivy|first=John|last=Leo|page=C1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|
newspaper=The Irish Times| date=8 April 1999|title=Bad blood over bad writing: Critics say US academic language has become so convoluted that it is largely incomprehensible to the point where argument is becoming impossible| first=Richard|last=Kelly|page=15}}</ref> in which the alleged opaqueness and obscurity of [[postmodernism|postmodern]] writing came in for criticism: [[Edward Said]], for instance, deplored "diminishment and incoherence" in the writings of some of his colleagues and [[Martha Nussbaum]] condemned academic writing that was "ponderous and obscure".<ref name=dinitia>{{cite news|work=The New York Times| date=27 February 1999| title=When Ideas Get Lost in Bad Writing: Attacks on scholars include a barbed contest with 'prizes'| first=Dinitia|last=Smith|page=B9|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/27/arts/when-ideas-get-lost-bad-writing-attacks-scholars-include-barbed-contest-with.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm}}</ref>