ICONIC DISCOURSE: THE TROUBLING LEGACY OF MINA SHAUGHNESSY

<p>The "legacy" of Mina Shaughnessy takes the form of a particular discourse that has, unni recently, directed the means of discussion of basic writing issues. This discourse is characterized by two prominent functions: it routinely returns to the Shaughnessy icon constructed since her death (a concept supported by Foucault's notion of the author function), and it treats the teacher-figure as an idealized embodiment of "authentic" knowledge and democratic feeling. Two debates within the Basic Writing community -the reaction against Min Zhan Lu's early theoretical work and the more recent acrimonious response to Ira Shor's defense of mainstreaming — reflect contending paradigms of the basic writing field, with "critical" discourse challenging the conventions and so authority of the Shaughnessy-based "iconic" discourse.</p>