really enjoyed this! I definitely am often guilty of being a bullshitter and not being well-read enough! i have to say though, i read dante for the first time a couple of years ago and it was the first time i'd read a canonical work properly in adulthood with no pressure or even much prior sense of the work, just approaching it with total curiosity (and no sense of rushing to 'catch up') - and it was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences i've ever had! feel like i've been chasing that kind of wide-eyed curiosity and enthusiasm ever since! Also re critics as you mentioned later on, have you read much Merve Emre? i find she tends to bring the kind of rigour i seek in literary criticism! there's esp a great piece she wrote years ago for the boston review on personal essays and durga chew-bose that is so harsh but kind of brilliantly so, totally changed how i think about the personal essay boom and memoiristic writing in general!
love the idea of wide-eyed curiosity and enthusiasm...i think that's a mindset that a lot of people associate exclusively with childhood, but adults are capable of it too! it's about allowing oneself to fall into that mindset i guess...
emre's name honestly doesn't ring a bell but i think i actually do remember the durga chew-bose piece and the stir it caused...i love a little controversy! (i also loved "too much and not the mood," but i haven't read it in a while.) thank you for the rec, i'll definitely check out her work and revisit the DCB piece.
i do wonder, though—i'm a little leery of the frequency with which these female literary critics are writing about other women (andrea long chu also comes to mind). i don't think there's an inherent issue with that, but those pieces do tend to be the ones that go viral and get everyone talking. i would love to see this level of incisive critique turned on one of the male literary darlings du jour, just for a change of pace...
loved this i think i have gotten smart quick by reading it! jk :) as the love/attention of great critics has earned your respect, this piece has resonated with me and as always when i see ur writing, compels time to further intellectualism ... ☝🏼🤓 thanks!
Along with Steven’s and Darnielle you should check out The Paranoid Style. Elizabeth Nelson packs her songs with historical and pop culture references and is just a fine singer with a great band. She’s on Substack as The Paranoid Style.
really enjoyed this! I definitely am often guilty of being a bullshitter and not being well-read enough! i have to say though, i read dante for the first time a couple of years ago and it was the first time i'd read a canonical work properly in adulthood with no pressure or even much prior sense of the work, just approaching it with total curiosity (and no sense of rushing to 'catch up') - and it was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences i've ever had! feel like i've been chasing that kind of wide-eyed curiosity and enthusiasm ever since! Also re critics as you mentioned later on, have you read much Merve Emre? i find she tends to bring the kind of rigour i seek in literary criticism! there's esp a great piece she wrote years ago for the boston review on personal essays and durga chew-bose that is so harsh but kind of brilliantly so, totally changed how i think about the personal essay boom and memoiristic writing in general!
love the idea of wide-eyed curiosity and enthusiasm...i think that's a mindset that a lot of people associate exclusively with childhood, but adults are capable of it too! it's about allowing oneself to fall into that mindset i guess...
emre's name honestly doesn't ring a bell but i think i actually do remember the durga chew-bose piece and the stir it caused...i love a little controversy! (i also loved "too much and not the mood," but i haven't read it in a while.) thank you for the rec, i'll definitely check out her work and revisit the DCB piece.
i do wonder, though—i'm a little leery of the frequency with which these female literary critics are writing about other women (andrea long chu also comes to mind). i don't think there's an inherent issue with that, but those pieces do tend to be the ones that go viral and get everyone talking. i would love to see this level of incisive critique turned on one of the male literary darlings du jour, just for a change of pace...
Yes totally agree!
(sorry to comment with a literal paragraph, good grief)
love love love u emilia ❣️
loved this i think i have gotten smart quick by reading it! jk :) as the love/attention of great critics has earned your respect, this piece has resonated with me and as always when i see ur writing, compels time to further intellectualism ... ☝🏼🤓 thanks!
Along with Steven’s and Darnielle you should check out The Paranoid Style. Elizabeth Nelson packs her songs with historical and pop culture references and is just a fine singer with a great band. She’s on Substack as The Paranoid Style.