the complexity of human existence
“The major difference between Tolstoy and Flaubert is that Tolstoy worked from life, Flaubert from ideas—and in this instance, from a very poor idea, which was hatred of the bourgeoisie and of provincial life. Of the two men, Tolstoy had the larger heart, which gave him the greater appreciation of the complexity of human existence and stronger skepticism about the ability of coarse and blatant ideas to encompass it, including those of the Russian novelist who began this work.”
Taken from Joseph Epstein’s excellent essay in The New Criterion, June 2008. His new collection of essays is “In A Cardboard Belt!”
“A literary education teaches that human nature is best, if always incompletely, understood through the examination of individual cases, with nothing more stimulating than those cases that provide exceptions that prove no rule—the unique human personality, in other words.”
The unique human personality. I wonder, is there such a thing?
we are not going to scotland
Me: I’m loading the iPod for the flight. What kind of music do you want?
Steph: Bagpipes, Buffy! Tons and TONS of bagpipes!
I’m accustomed to flying solo, or with The Euro. I’ve never done it with anyone else. This will be my first girls-only holiday. It’s Steph’s first time on an airplane.
As a recovering aerophobic myself, I understand her pain. Ten years ago – to the very day we’ll be travelling – I took my first flight. It took two doses of horse tranquilizer to keep me calm (that’s only a slight exaggeration). In September 2001 I finally got over my fear. I remember sitting in New York the day before taking off thinking I’m not the least bit bothered by this. How great is that?. Two days later, 9-11. Needless to say it took a few more years of in-flight breathing exercises before I outgrew the nervousness again.
I’m trying to make the whole experience as comfortable as possible for my girl Steph. Admittedly, this could be a bit tricky. She’s a teetotaler who wont even pop an Advil so my Have a glass of red and relax routine isn’t really gonna work on her. Same goes for the horse tranquilizers. Obviously.
So if bagpipes is what she wants. Bagpipes is what she’ll get. That, and a lot of chocolate. Because chocolate. Is good. For everything.
shades of life
“ I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in life. And I am horribly limited. ”
- Sylvia Plath
