The live and the dead nettle. This is the use of memory:
The Critic in Culture
The role of the critic in culture: guardian/gatekeeper of the gift
Beauties have their weaknesses. Buildings have their flaws.
She cuts like a knife with the eyes of her words.
On the Virtues of Ingratitude
Gratitude hurts our critical capacities by forbidding dissatisfaction with a scale that tilts, albeit by chance, in one’s favor.
Escapism and Art For Lonely People
On some level, probably the first and most immediate level, all art is fantasy.
The quickest of us walk about well wadded with stupidity
If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be life hearing the grass grow and the squirrel’s heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence.
Excerpts from a Conversation with David Foster Wallace
There are four trillion bits coming at you, 99 percent of them are shit, and it’s too much work to do triage to decide.
We May Draw Two Conclusions
We may draw two conclusions, at least tonight; later we can change our minds.
The Art of Promotion (1)
We here at James Brown Enterprises are deeply concerned about our youth. We are not only concerned with them doing the right things but also making the right decisions in life.
Demoting Beauty
Our response to beauty is our heart volunteering us for the gentlest form of domination.
Power and the Pickup Artist
Rather than establish a spontaneous, open-ended and reciprocal relation with another person, the pickup artists want to assure that interpersonal exchanges follow a rigid script that culminates in sex
An Exile from the Real World
An exile from the real world, Elvis Presley built his own world
The Art of the Interview (3): Harvey Pekar
Harvey Pekar cramps David Letterman’s style in 1988.
Life is Born Out of Force
Life is born out of force and denial at the hands of one’s intimates. This is knowledge to be taken in manfully. In fact, the taking in of this knowledge is precisely what has always been called manful.
"A State of Mathematical Grace" (How to Begin)
Rereading Enduring Love, I’m struck again by the simple perfection of its opening