tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10178279.post805787970014703918..comments2024-03-28T05:13:13.921-04:00Comments on Books, Inq. — The Epilogue: We could use more like it …Frank Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410473158808750903noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10178279.post-15230007081839857432018-09-16T14:40:14.935-04:002018-09-16T14:40:14.935-04:00Oh, and what about temporal parochialism? Why is t...Oh, and what about temporal parochialism? Why is there not more insistence on reading Beowulf or Chaucer? I am reading Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love, written around 1395. Frank Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18410473158808750903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10178279.post-35335270800615415422018-09-16T14:30:04.169-04:002018-09-16T14:30:04.169-04:00I don't know. I read The Tale of Genji during ...I don't know. I read The Tale of Genji during the summer when I was in college. I've been reading Chinese poetry probably since high school. Reading itself gets you to know of things besides those of your own time and place. Just let your reading take its course. Follow it where it leads. Why not have some faith in those students everyone claims to be so concerned about? If they're really any good, they'll discover plenty without any help.Frank Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18410473158808750903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10178279.post-68397273252169009482018-09-14T01:52:38.038-04:002018-09-14T01:52:38.038-04:00You misunderstand my point. Of course Tan Twan Eng...You misunderstand my point. Of course Tan Twan Eng's work can be read and appreciated without knowledge of non-Western literature, but just imagine how much richer our reading could be if as students we were exposed to very different literary and cultural traditions. Context matters.Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13770069472552779217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10178279.post-15649073700775892018-09-13T09:57:02.945-04:002018-09-13T09:57:02.945-04:00I think it is only necessary to read Eng's wor...I think it is only necessary to read Eng's work in order to understand and appreciate it. It stands quite well on its own.Frank Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18410473158808750903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10178279.post-40024677595707332362018-09-13T04:59:44.422-04:002018-09-13T04:59:44.422-04:00Whilst I agree that such a programme is enabling i...Whilst I agree that such a programme is enabling in the sense you mean, the inclusion of classic texts from the non-Western canon (Chinese or Japanese, for example) would likely bear fruit. I suspect that it would certainly help a reader understand and appreciate Tan Twan Eng's work more.Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13770069472552779217noreply@blogger.com