A seeming exception is the fact that sometimes individuals can, through the exertion of their influence and prestige, actually change the way we speak about things.

也许有一个例外，有人的确看上去能用个人声望和影响，左右我们说话的方式。

耶鲁公开课 - 文学理论导论课程节选

So Richard's first exertion of agency in this book is through the agency of words, in this case in asserting an interpretation of the words at odds with their intended meaning.

这里理查在书中头一次借助语言,表达自己的影响，即使与其所理解的意思,大相径庭。

耶鲁公开课 - 1945年后的美国小说课程节选