This is one of my favorite Hauerwas stories. Let me say at the outset that I’m pretty sure the university in question was, in fact, Harvard. I might be wrong about that, but it makes no real difference.
So this one time, Stanley Hauerwas was at Harvard to deliver a lecture and, being there early and still need to do some preparations, set out to find the library. Not finding it he stopped a student and proceeded to ask him, “Excuse me, where’s the library at?”
The student, looking incredulously at him responded, “Sir, at Harvard we don’t end our sentences with a preposition.”
Stanley paused for a moment and then rephrased his question in a more grammatically appropriate manner: “Where’s the library at, asshole?”
I’m in love!
That beautiful!
Sounds like Raca to me.
I was JUST telling my wife this evening about Hauerwas in this respect, thanks for the perfect illustration! ;-D
That is the best grammatical illustration I’ve ever heard.
You may be right about that–a similar incident can be found in another movie about Harvard U., With Honors. (Joe Pesci’s character was the one who was involved in a public exchange with a professor.)
i think i read hauerwas commenting on that story somewhere, something to the effect that it was apocryphal, but that he wished it had actually happened.
Maybe, Dave. I think I got it from some students fairly close to him, though. There definitely are some apocryphal Hauerwas stories out there, though.
Resist the urge to demythologize.
Hauerwas says on page 133 (in a footnote) in “State of the University” that the story is not true.
Any theologian with apocryphal stories is already a living a legend.
Hauerwas is the new Chuck Norris.
Stanley Hauerwas could single-handedly kill every living theologian in unarmed combat if he wasn’t a pacifist.
Stanley Hauerwas could write a better treatise than you on any subject if you recorded him while he slept.
Stanley Hauerwas once solved Hume’s Trilemma but he couldn’t be bothered to tell anyone.
I told this story to my parents from Nebraska who are visiting. They proceeded to tell me what they say is an oft-told Nebraska joke in which a Nebraskan is on a plane, sits next to a woman, and introduces himself, saying, “I’m from Nebraska; where are you from?” The woman responds, “I’m from the East Coast, where we don’t end our sentences with a preposition.” The Nebraskan rephrased: “Where are you from, bitch?”
All of that is to say that the apparent currency of this joke, with its similar structure to the Hauerwas anecdote, points in the direction of the Hauerwas story being apocryphal. See, the historical-critical method triumphs again!
Which means we must simply rebrand it as a joke. The possibilities are endless: Stanley Hauerwas, a Rabbi, and a Stripper walk onto the Harvard campus . . .
Watching a video of Hauerwas speaking at Baylor where he says the story is not true, although he has been introduced 2 or 3 times by folks who recounted the story. Says that he would never use the word “asshole” because as anyone from Texas should know, that’s a term of endearment.