Social Relevance?

So tonight Eagleton defined a "pressing historic problem" for me, one that has been keeping me up at nights lately (or just about): " . . . the problem of the intellectual's relation to 'common humanity,' the relation between a tolerant intellectual skepticism and more taxing convictions, and the social relevance of a professionalized criticism to a crisis-ridden society."

Apparently this was of keen interest to lit theorists in the 20's and 30's. And to a rather common English major deciding on a thesis in October of 2007.

What do you think? Is it relevant? Important? If one could choose between raising money for a good cause and dissecting the meaning of "semiotics" in Julia Kristeva's criticism, is one more worthy than the other?

I used to have a long line of thought that led me to believe both were equal, but I've lost the end.

Of nights, solitude, and warmth

My roommate is the type of woman who exudes warmth. It's in her huge, perfect, brown eyes. There's a certain spark...you know the type of people I mean. So when she comes home at night, I breath easier having a little glow moving about, inhabiting the house.

Community versus solitude has been on my mind of late. Both are necessary, the question is how to balance, how to synthesize, how to seek out, when to branch out alone, how to build. Anyone have insight on this? Or more questions?

And on a completely unrelated note...











Tonight in This Town

This night goes in circles
(moon about town,
drops into puddles,
globes – the tail-lights).
The thing about circles
is they elude you
(‘round ferment of graveyards
hugging the church,
rolls the river)
– like the drop
sliding away from you
(stones slipping from shore),
like confusion
(tracks through mud),
it brings you back
(bells swinging in towers)
to yourself.

Neice and the north...

I'm off to celebrate Thanksgiving in the land of frigid Octobers, with this darling,


I think I'll like being an aunt.
I'll be back next week, friends!