More post-scripts to last entry

P.P.S. Regarding Batuman again: Found her recent editorial on “Why Criticism Matters.” I’m always a sucker for areas of study which require defenses of why they “matter.” If you know immediately why something matters (say, plumbing or dentistry) it is probably not very interesting.

This quote drew my interest: “If I wanted to express in words all that I meant to express by the novel, then I should have to write the same novel as I have written all over again.” That’s Tolstoy, sticking it to one of his critics on Anna Karenina. I’ve heard similar ideas about poetry: It is impossible to summarize a poem, because a poem can only exist in its own words. Batuman doesn’t necessarily dismiss that idea, but complicates it. She also cites Freud in a way that feels relevant and not annoying. She is so bangin'.

P.P.P.S. Regarding my “hot years”: Apparently this sorry old bag of bones has STILL GOT IT. One of the 9th form boys called out at me in class today, “You have a great ass!” I am pretty sure he has some form of Tourette’s, but hey, it was the first grammatically correct, complete sentence anyone had spoken in English all day. 10 points for the English language and my ass.