Laughter and the Agelasts in Rabelais
What a post title that is! Writing about Rabelais and Gargantua and Pantagruel reminds me of the foolish errand of the men who try to scientifically parse what makes something funny. That is like determining the materials used to paint the Mona Lisa by seeing how fast it burns. Rabelais is, or at least was, … Continue reading
A New Book: Gargantua and Pantagruel
Little Women is completed and so we move on to a new book on the Master List. A quick glance at the Books Left to Read list, and I see there are very few left in the top tier. Nine, to be exact, ranging from St. Augustine in the 4th Century to William Gaddis in the … Continue reading
Jo Refuses Laurie
In my final post on Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, I want to focus not on the death of Beth, which is the climax of the novel, but on that peculiar narrative twist that Alcott was so proud of: Laurie doesn’t end up with Jo. Let’s put this deferred romance in perspective. If you look … Continue reading
Little Women: The Sequel!
So a peculiar packaging issue faces the publisher of Little Women: is it two books or one? Way back in 1868, Part I was titled Little Women and included the first two dozen chapters. Part II was a completely separate book titled Good Wives, and was published a year later after the first volume became … Continue reading
Letters Republic 