Category Archives: Literature

ARE PEOPLE HYPOCRITES IN THEIR PLEASURES?

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Philip

ARE PEOPLE HYPOCRITES IN THEIR PLEASURES? Mary Jane is fond of quoting Samuel Johnson’s statement that: “No man is a hypocrite in his pleasures.” (The full passage from Boswell is here: “Sir Joshua [Reynolds] having also observed that the real … Continue reading →

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WAS OUR FAMILY MIDDLE BROW?

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Philip

WAS OUR FAMILY MIDDLE BROW? Looking at the Life article now, I come to the same conclusion that Elmer and I must have reached when we first encountered it. Our family was on the dividing line between Lower Middle Brow … Continue reading →

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“AVANT-GARDE AND KITSCH”.

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Philip

“AVANT-GARDE AND KITSCH”. I posted here about the influential belief that “kitsch” (bad art) was bad for society. In the article I referred to yesterday, Louis Menand writes about Dwight Mcdonald and his protege Clement Greenberg, who were influential in … Continue reading →

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“…SHE CRISPED AWAY.”

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Philip

“…SHE CRISPED AWAY.” I posted here about how I have always found it striking that the Greek gods often appear as comic figures. Gogarty’s version of Leda and the swan captures this comic joy. RAB quotes a student (in this … Continue reading →

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TRUTHS “UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED” OR “THOROUGHLY ESTABLISHED”.

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Philip

TRUTHS “UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED” OR “THOROUGHLY ESTABLISHED”. Abigail Adams wrote a letter to John on March 31, 1776 which implored John to be “more generous and favorable to [ladies] than your ancestors”. In the same passage she says: “…That your Sex … Continue reading →

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PICKPOCKETS AT AIRPORTS.

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Philip

PICKPOCKETS AT AIRPORTS. I imagine Fagin would be impressed by the interaction of modern air travel and and the old-fashioned business of picking pockets that this post post describes. The post says that “there are some thieves who make their … Continue reading →

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LEDA AND THE SWAN—YEATS.

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Philip

LEDA AND THE SWAN—YEATS. It’s tempting to see the poems about Leda by Yeats and Gogarty as being the result of a competition between the poets. Some research on Google shows that the men were good friends and had conversations … Continue reading →

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“GOOSEY, GOOSEY, GANDER”—THE POEM.

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Philip

“GOOSEY, GOOSEY, GANDER”—THE POEM. Oliver St. John Gogarty, a medical doctor and poet, was the original for Buck Mulligan in ULYSSES. Mary Jane told me that there was a poem about Leda and the swan—not by Yeats—which included the line … Continue reading →

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JOYCE ON WHETHER SHAKESPEARE WROTE FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Philip

JOYCE ON WHETHER SHAKESPEARE WROTE FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. This continues my response to Nick’s request that I tell some of my reactions to ULYSSES as I go along. Obviously, I am continually struck by the extent to which the fiction … Continue reading →

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“THE ANSWER CANNOT TOTALLY BE ANSWERED.”

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Philip

“THE ANSWER CANNOT TOTALLY BE ANSWERED.” I have chosen a different caption from this post on the You Knew What I Meant website, but the caption of the post is quite wonderful: “He was at the wrong place at the … Continue reading →

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