Democracy in America
I see an innumerable multitude of men, alike and equal, constantly circling around in pursuit of the petty and banal pleasures with which they glut their souls. Each one of them, withdrawn into...
View ArticleLiberalism and Literature
A comment left here on Wednesday by Daniel Green led me to his blog, which in turn led me to his wonderful article, “Liberalism and Literature.” A critique of the “academic left” and of ideological...
View ArticleTalkin’ About Movies
Note: Last night I delivered the following talk at the 2004 NEXUS Interdisciplinary Symposium: Reconstructing Theory and Value. I was part of a panel called “Film in the New Millennium,” where I was...
View ArticleUsable Questions
I spent two hours in the stacks yesterday, unearthing Norman Mailer criticism. (My love of library research comes in at #17 on the “Reasons I’m Still Not Finished That Damn Dissertation” list.) While...
View ArticleNew Perspectives
So, this is kind of exciting. My copy of Philip Roth: New Perspectives on an American Author just arrived, hot off the proverbial press. My article, “The ‘Written World’ of Philip Roth’s Nonfiction,”...
View ArticleStill Thinking Randomly
Right now, I’m supposed to be at the Coeur D’Alene resort in Idaho, chairing a panel on Literature and Religion at the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association conference. But I’m not. I’m in...
View ArticleCatching Up
It’s been way too long since I’ve rambled about the banal details of my day-to-day life. Last Friday, five minutes or so after finishing my paper, I hopped in the car and drove to Atlanta for the SAMLA...
View ArticleAn Important Announcement
[Note: If you make it through this entire post, you're a champ. It's here, more or less, as one more document in the archive of my life.] Long-time readers of Long Pauses will know that, after nearly...
View ArticleHow ‘Bout That
“Darren Hughes’s contribution on Roth’s non-fiction writing, while far too short, is nonetheless a valuable addition to the mostly untrodden field of investigation of Roth as a critic.” – from David...
View ArticleNo Reservations
I read a book last weekend. A 302-page book. I was standing in Borders on Friday night, waiting for Joanna to get a drink, and I picked up a book, read the first few pages, and decided to buy it. Then...
View Article