There has to be a cultural change before the gun violence subsides, and that change is in our own hands in a way that legislation is not. Just as we are changing our culture by revising language regarding race and gender, we might revisit our use of gun language. The first step is to increase our awarenessContinue reading “Beyond Grammar: Gun talk in America”
The protesters of my generation (we came of age in the 60s and early 70s) have two lessons for the powerful generation standing up for all of us these days: 1) by uniting around solid ideas, you can be effective, and 2) the forces against you are powerful, militant, and may overcome you. We marched,Continue reading “Some advice from an older generation”
This book can be read on many levels – for a linguist like me, its linguistic observations were a blast of fresh air, for a historian it is rich with commentary, and for a writer or avid reader, the allusions are legion, including the title, which pays homage to the eponymous novel by Dostoevsky. (MyContinue reading “BOOK REVIEW: The Idiot, by Elif Batuman”
“Jane Austen wrote like that until the end of her days. ‘How she was able to effect all this,’ her nephew writes in his memoir, ‘is surprising, for she had no separate study to repair to, and most of the work must have been done in the general sitting room, subject to all kinds ofContinue reading “Virginia Woolf: How Jane Austen worked”
Many unsung women are responsible for the benefits women enjoy today.
Women progressed once they could make money by writing.
In centuries past, women were burdened with many children and had no opportunity to write.
Today, American men are sitting in the waiting room while the women give birth to a new nation.
“Sir, a woman’s composing is like a dog’s walking on his hind legs. It is not done well, but you are surprised to find it done at all.’”