A Momentary Taste of Being

Her Fearful Symmetry reviewed As much as I rely upon the work of critics and book reviewers, there are some times when they just can't seem to get it right.  I have suspected that the book referenced above is one of those cases, and it is nice to see a review from someone whose opinion I respect that entices me to take up a book that I have long been intrigued by.

The Evolution of Butterflies--Nabokov v. Gould If Nabokov was right was Gould wrong? I would say that Gould was largely responding to the comments of people outside the historical sciences that the historical sciences are not science in the way Physics or Chemistry are.  (Nonsense and chauvinism, of course)  But he probably saw the chief criticism (Paleontologists as "stamp collectors") as fitting Nabokov par excellence.  He might have collected and studied the butterflies, but he didn't contribute anything radically new to understanding them.  Additionally, I would venture to guess that Gould would still support his main point.  Nabokov's work was not radically innovative or ground-breaking in any substantive sense. I am only speculating.  But Gould tended to think of himself as something of a prose artist--and when he's at his artiest his writing and his clarity suffer correspondingly.  When he's producing wildly metaphorical works like "The Sp...

Nabakov's Blue Butterflies

Mistress of the Elgin Marbles reviewed

Nabokov's Stories

A nice review of the works of Master Nabokov

"The Laureate's Curse"

A look at Bend Sinister   Warning--some spoilers.

The Wisdom of the Blessed John Henry Newman

The recently beatified John Henry Newman's Idea of a University.

Well, not really directly loup-garou, but if we consider the fate of the author, it has much to tell us regarding them. Irène Némirovsky The Dogs and the Wolves

Despising men of letters and culture parasites Just what I love of Nietzsche, so restrained, so subtle, so reserved.  It's hard to pick out from his writing what he really thinks.  Small wonder then he ended as he did.

Nabokov on Flaubert And speaking of Nabokov reminds me of these reflections on evil I'm in disagreement with one of Vargas Llosa's central points.

"The Cruelty of Righteous People" For those who leap to criticize the excesses of Dawkins, Hitchens, and Harris, would do well to remember that often in the most excessive criticism, there is underlying truth--truth one would do well to recognize and excise.  In some sense, strident unbelievers are a gift to those who do believe because they expose some of the underlying hypocrisy, or rather some of the disconnect between right belief (orthodoxy) and right practice (orthopraxy).  Just a memorable moment from the lengthy quotation linked above: The criticism which Jesus levelled at good people had both a religious and moral connotation. They were proud in the sight of God and they were merciless and unforgiving to their fellow-men. Their pride is the basis of their lack of mercy. The unmerciful servant, in Jesus' parable is unforgiving to his fellow-servant in spite of the mercy which he had received from his master.         ...

Reading Lolita at age 12 Which goes to support my major contention about the book--no matter how well written, irreparably harmful, considering a great many men I know never get much beyond age 12 in their thinking.

Prof. Myers looks at the recently beatified Cardinal John Henry Newman as a literary figure.  One whose "Dream of Gerontius" inspired a lovely oratorio/opera by Sir Edward Elgar.

To know that five leading publishers saw, knew, and understood Lolita as it was and is.

A Brief Survey of the Short Story part XXVIII--Nabakov

A preview of a forthcoming book and some short stories by Irène Némirovsky Most people are best acquainted with her through the final two novels of a sequence that was to be called Suite Francaise when completed.  That is the title of the extant portion of the work.  Let's hope this new study of herwork puts the lie to the endless gossip that propels the literary world forward.

Amelie Nothomb