. ▁ ▁Edmund ▁Le ach ▁wrote ▁that ▁" The ▁out standing ▁characteristic ▁of ▁his ▁writing , ▁whether ▁in ▁French ▁or ▁English , ▁is ▁that ▁it ▁is ▁difficult ▁to ▁understand ; ▁his ▁soci ological ▁theories ▁combine ▁b aff ling ▁complexity ▁with ▁over wh el ming ▁er ud ition . ▁Some ▁readers ▁even ▁suspect ▁that ▁they ▁are ▁being ▁treated ▁to ▁a ▁confidence ▁trick ". ▁The ▁soci ologist ▁Stanis lav ▁And res ki ▁critic ized ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ' s ▁work ▁generally , ▁arg uing ▁that ▁his ▁scholar ship ▁was ▁often ▁slo ppy ▁and ▁moreover ▁that ▁much ▁of ▁his ▁myst ique ▁and ▁reputation ▁stem med ▁from ▁his ▁" th re aten ing ▁people ▁with ▁mathematics ," ▁a ▁reference ▁to ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ' s ▁use ▁of ▁quasi - algebra ic ▁equations ▁to ▁explain ▁his ▁ideas . ▁The ▁critic ▁Camil le ▁P aglia ▁dismiss ed ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ▁as ▁over r ated , ▁comment ing ▁that ▁" When ▁as ▁a ▁Y ale ▁gradu ate ▁student ▁I ▁r ans ack ed ▁that ▁great ▁temple , ▁Ster ling ▁Library , ▁in ▁search ▁of ▁parad ig ms ▁for ▁re integr ating ▁literary ▁criticism ▁with ▁history , ▁I ▁found ▁literally ▁nothing ▁in ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ▁that ▁I ▁felt ▁had ▁scholar ly ▁solid ity ." ▁Draw ing ▁on ▁post - colon ial ▁approaches ▁to ▁anth rop ology , ▁Tim othy ▁Laur ie ▁has ▁suggested ▁that ▁" L é vi - St ra uss ▁speak s ▁from ▁the ▁v antage ▁point