My boyfriend asked me yesterday why, when I read so much, I do not do any literary analysis. He knows that, when I read, I do not do so with a reader’s guide, even to the point of reading a dense work like without any external input. After some faltering and inane attempts at an explanation, I had to admit that it is largely due to misplaced pride in my ability to “get” whatever I am reading. So, I am going to try to change that. For books of that sort, the books that make me think or confuse me or inspire me, I will begin writing longer, more analytic reviews. I hope they bring you pleasure in some way.
Tag Archives: motivations
Using my privilege prior to the grave…
The December 22 & 29th, 2008 issue of The New Yorker contained a piece by Mark Twain, entitled “The Privilege of the Grave.” In his usual dry, witty way Twain contends that free speech is 5000 times more rare than murder and punished 100% of the time. He is, of couse, speaking of punishment by one’s peers, family, society, etc. It is a wonderfully well-written piece about the longing many people have to say what they truly think, and how that is almost always supressed. I do not want to go further in summarizing the essay, Continue reading