In memory of a writer with the rare combination of democratic humanism and fantastic world-building imagination.

Just what is that infamous thing, a close reading?

In last December's issue of the British magazine Prospect, the musician and producer Brian Eno explained that gone are the days of distinct stylistic trends -- "this season's color" or "Abstract Expressionism" or "psychedelic music."

I've been reading the evolving debate on narrativity here with great interest: Kate Lingley's recent post on the value (perhaps necessity) of a diachronic way of organizing the meanings with which art is invested particularly resonated, since this is a significant problem in Anglo-Saxon literature.

The day after April Fool's day seems appropriate for pondering how to recognize a joke. I've been reading the Old English poem Andreas, and came across this passage:

Thanks to the curious rhythms of the quarter system, it’s finally now back to school here at the University of California at Santa Cruz. We’ll be marking it -- faculty, staff, and students -- with a walkout on Thursday, September 24 to protest the budget cuts that have so battered this institution and others throughout California.