Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is a bewitching but almost unbearably bloated novel. Deftly mimicking the oblique style of Jane Austen, Clarke resurrects the concerns, mannerisms and values of early-19th century England. Into this historical milieu she chucks a fabricated history of “English magic,” a longstanding but recently stagnant tradition waiting to be […]
“‘England is full of magicians. Hundreds! Thousands perhaps! Norrell refused them. Norrell denied them. Norrell silenced them. But they are magicians nonetheless. Tell them this.’ He passed his hand across his forehead and breathed hard for a moment. ‘Tree speaks to stone; stone speaks to water. It is not so hard as we have supposed. […]
This week I’m struggling with a bout of the Humboldt crud, so I’m just going to post pictures of our building progress without any commentary. After all, words just get in the way, right? If you have any questions or thoughts, please leave a comment and I’ll answer as soon as I can. Also, have […]
“‘Whoever heard of cats doing anything useful!’ ‘Except for staring at one in a supercilious manner,’ said Strange. ‘That has a sort of moral usefulness, I suppose, in making one feel uncomfortable and encouraging sober reflections upon one’s imperfections.’” ––Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke, pg. 756 “It’s uncomfortable, at the least, […]
“Your life might be a kind of moral outrage. It might have to to change right now.” ––Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril, “Climate Change Is a Moral Problem for You, Right Now,” by James Garvey, pg. 282 “‘I hope you will write occasionally? Some token of your impressions?’ ‘Oh! I […]
“The picture of reality emerging from cosmology, evolutionary biology, and ecology focuses on relations and community, not on individuals and objects. According to this picture, everything in the universe has emerged from a Big Bang 15 billion years ago when a tiny bit of matter exploded and over billions of years became the galaxies and […]
In July, we tore out the concrete slab in front of the old garage to make room for the foundation on which the new house extension now stands. We poured that slab back when I was in grade school so I could have a flat surface to play basketball on. Many good memories followed, the […]
“No amount of ideology can change the profound dependence of each human person not only on other human beings, but on air and water and other species as well––the invisible ‘others,’ the great ‘cloud of witnesses’ we depend on. But whereas ‘independence’ is a word enshrined in history, ‘interdependence’ is an uncelebrated academic neologism. Efforts […]
“I have suggested that climate change poses a fundamental challenge to how we think of our lives having meaning, and that respecting those who will follow is part of how we might constructively respond to this challenge. Such a response does not depend on sweeping views about right, duties, and responsibilities but only on modest […]
“I have heard talk about a light at the end of the tunnel: Is it the brightness of day out in the world of life, or is it a train bearing down on us? Only time will tell, and our only choice seems to be to keep going toward it, whatever it may be. Perhaps […]