I’m afraid I traumatized the first group of students to whom I told, “There are no new ideas.” Actually, I meant it to be comforting. But here in the US, we are in a committed relationship with the idea of originality, which is perhaps a by-product of having a short history. Continue reading “5 quotes on reading and empathy”
Years ago at a party, one of my cousins introduced me to a schoolmate of his with the description, “She’s studying English Literature.”
“Really?” the friend asked (slyly, I thought). “Have you heard of the book Gobbledy Gook“?
I told him (haughtily, I hoped) that no, in fact, I’d never heard of Gobbledy Gook. That’s when he laid some truth on me: the book didn’t exist. He’d made up the title, apparently to test whether I was legit. At the time, I thought it was kind of a douche move, but maybe he had a point.
Lying about books is apparently a thing. Continue reading “Why are people lying about the books they’ve read?”
