Maryann:
It's not easy to know these days what sort of information may be considered common knowledge or to know if a particular allusion will be recognized. Perhaps this has always been a stumbling block for writers, but some social critics seem to think the well of common knowledge has gone woefully dry in recent times. I taught high school English and humanities for 32 years, and I used to shudder at how many of my students frequently drew a complete blank when what I thought was a common reference came up in reading or discussion. And I was teaching mostly college-bound seniors.
I suppose a writer needs to find a balance between overkill with endnotes and no notes at all. For example, if a foreign language expression can be located in a good dictionary (summum bonum or joie de vivre), then I see no need to include a note in order to compensate for the reader's lack of knowledge, or worse for his laziness in refusing to look up the expression.
All of us have gaps in our knowledge and understanding. Being a good reader requires a certain amount of work. Nonetheless, I'm irritated as a reader if a writer drops a line or passage from another language into his work and expects that I should be fluent in ancient Greek or medieval French or modern German.
Richard
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