Quoteskimming

[kellyrfineman]

Welcome to the dead writers' edition of quoteskimming. Usually I mix things up a bit, but as I found so many quotes from 18th century writers this week, including quite a long one from Miss Austen, I decided to go with a theme.

On writing

First up, the author of Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift (1667-1745):

"Proper

Comments

[seaheidi]

oooh, thanks for the reminder about P&P!

[kellyrfineman]

You're welcome. And I'm glad you're making so much progress with revisions. Don't forget to get up and stretch from time to time!

[seaheidi]

that's what i was just doing. i have my feet up on a step-stool but my legs get all cramped up and my feet all tingly after just a half hour or so...since i weigh 25 lbs more than usual, it is so much harder to sit and work and distribute myself... i can't wait until the end of may!!! (ugh, delete this icky comment!)

[kellyrfineman]

Yeah, I kinda figured things might be getting rough for you these days, although I couldn't remember your due date.

[christinenorris]

I have to read The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia later this semester for my 17th and 18th century British Lit class.

I'm thinking of taking Romantic Britsh Lit course next semester, just so I can read more Jane and get a grade for it.

[kellyrfineman]

A Romantic British Lit course is a fine idea, although Jane was not included in that set when I took British Romantic Literature back in the day - it started with stuff that came after her. So be sure to check the course description/syllabus carefully.

[christinenorris]

I THINK it was the Romantic Brit. Lit. class I was looking at. One of them specifically mentioned Jane, and a few other authors. It was one of those I was looking at for summer.

[lkmadigan]

Excellent quotes!

[kellyrfineman]

Danke schoen.

[kellyrfineman]

Yes, I believe Dr. Johnson was calling you a blockhead. Not.

In fact, I'm nearly certain that his tongue was at least partly in his cheek when he wrote that, but Dr. J did manage to get paid back in his time, so it's possible that he thought the pursuit of writing without intending to be paid for it was silly. There's a bit of a distinction there, though, between actually getting paid and intention.

[anonymous]

Kelly,

I used to use this quote from Ben Jonson on my AP syllabus. I think it gets to heart of your argument:

"Neither can his mind be in tune, whose words do jarre, nor his reason in frame, whose sentence is preposterous."

I love how Jonson argues that writing is both a reflection of the writer's state of mind, while at the same time hinting that language can structure consciousness. It gets to the point that Rabinowitz and Smith make in their book on the role of reader in literary criticism....that if literature can help us, then literature also has the potential to harm us.

Let's choose our books carefully, and be careful out there!

Bill

[kellyrfineman]

In the words of Dorothy Parker, "This is not a book to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force."