On Weltlitteratur and transnational literature

Transnational is a present but obscured, and often pirated quality of “World Literature:” i.e., Goethe tells us in Dichtung und Wahrheit that as a child, he got a tutor to teach him “Judendeutsch” (Yiddish) and that he composed in it for his seven-language epistolary novel he wrote then (it is not extant now, unfortunately). If … More On Weltlitteratur and transnational literature

Action alert!

Here’s an action alert: write The Nation and complain about their faux-lefty piece. The Arnautoff murals are not there to “remind black people of oppression.” They are there as a critique of the canonization of George Washington and yes, they remind one that this progenitor of American liberty held slaves. They don’t have any of … More Action alert!

More books to put on that iPad

Gloria Anzaldúa. I need whatever she has that I don’t and the library doesn’t, but in particular Light in the Dark AND the Spanish translation with its introduction. Things I must read are not necessarily things I should read, but here we go. And here is some 2017 Anzaldúa bibliography. Axé.

The Sommer paper

Titles, notes, and phrases I did not use in the abstract, but must think about, include: 1. Fractured families and dystopian romance in 19th century Latin American narrative 2. Fictional foundations: anti-national non-romance (or anti-national fantasy, colonial rhapsody) 3. Celui n’est pas mon père (yet more fun: Ceci n’est pas mon père) 4. Colonial rhapsody … More The Sommer paper

Walters Museum, and student evaluations

Last summer I visited this museum and received its lovely magazine. Sticking with me in particular are the ceramics of Roberto Lugo and John Singer Sargent’s watercolor The Alhambra Vase. In the store, a bronze reproduction of a Chinese owl figurine, eight inches high. ∞∞∞∞∞∞ How to get high evaluations? Old and new suggestions include … More Walters Museum, and student evaluations