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Monthly Archives: October 2017
“What does the continual repicturing of Austen say to us?”
If British novelist Jane Austen – now dead for 200 years – could see the picture of her that is in cash registers and wallets in England on the newly-issued ten pound note, she would probably laugh. The bankers selected … Continue reading
“When he analyzed students’ responses through their handheld electronic clickers, only 10 percent would remember the material after twenty minutes of lecture.”
Was this professor inept? Were his students slackers? Both are unlikely: Carl Wieman, the professor, is a Nobel Laureate, and he teaches at Sanford. Perhaps, as Norman Eng points out, those of us who stand in the front of the … Continue reading
“I want to show you the world, as it is all around us, all the time.”
How does Karl Ove Knausgaard’s collection of letters for his unborn daughter compare to Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me? All three are beautiful explorations of ideas; all are meant to guide, … Continue reading
Posted in non-fiction
Tagged Autumn, Karl Ove Knausgaard, obsessed with Knausgaard, optimism and joy
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“After all, what can a first impression tell us about someone we’ve just met for a minute in the lobby of a hotel?”
Amor Towles, author of A Gentleman in Moscow, continues: “Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Botticelli.” If you, like me, would like a break from the disasters and tragedies surrounding us, … Continue reading
Posted in fiction
Tagged A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles, how relationships change, spark joy, wonderful novel
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