Revision of 100 Word Summary

Himmelfarb’s essay discusses the idea of using an autobiographical approach to teach literature and history content. She believes that professors are considered advocates and should teach straight from the text, not from personal beliefs or ideas. She states this by saying, “Every professor is assumed to be an advocate, and every class, lecture, essay, book , or research project an exercise in advocacy” (86). She then explains that teaching has now turned away from just providing pure facts, but been done, “not in the name of truth, but in a show of disdain for the very idea of truth” (86).