There is something, oddly, to what Maxine says: "Being driven mad is an occupational hazard of being alive in 2009." I say "oddly," because, after all, most of us are a hell of lot better off than we would be in, say, the 14th century (see Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror). But our time is characterized by myriad distractions and annoyances that are the psychological equivalent of the death of a thousand cuts. Which is why I find myself wanting to retreat more and more into the world of the classics. Chaucer may not seem like escape literature to many, but the humanity on display there is so reassuring.
The comments of Mrs Gee's and of Maxine's Frank is referring to were made on The Ruba'iyat of the Maison Des Girrafes, Maxine's on Monday, 12 January 2009 - 22:01 UTC.
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