as a matter of fact it’s all dark: cyberpunk, language, and the two worlds

Emma Becciu, one of the most gifted interpreters I’ve ever known, has begun a language & translation blog. A lot of it is in Italian; if you can’t read that, turn on Chrome’s… Read More →

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stranger: Heath Ledger’s Joker

(x-posted to The Valve) Dear readers, this is about the film The Dark Knight and will, of necessity, be crammed absolutely full of spoilers. *** It seems we are still too close to… Read More →

LarvalSubjects on Pedagogy

Dear readers, I highly recommend that you check out Sinthome’s response to my tag about teaching. He teaches philosophy, and this remarkable post synthesizes the Socratic value of provocation, alienating others from their… Read More →

The Talented Mr. Student: Books, Class, and “Passing”

(x-posted to The Valve) It is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations… Read More →

Teaching Literature

(x-posted to The Valve) Look, I realize that there is a serious danger inherent in only writing posts about teaching literature. It’s not all I do, it’s not something I want to do… Read More →

The Return of the SoCal Bloggers: Tomemos, Uncomplicatedly, Girl Detective, Surlacarte

Dear readers, Happy new year! Blogging is a reflection of brick-and-mortar communities, and it creates and sustains new communities of its own. Discussions begin through blogging that could never have happened otherwise, and… Read More →

The Best and Worst of Intellectual Blogs 2007

(x-posted to The Valve) What a very long year it’s been. It’s been a year shaped by the evolution of political discourse in this country and around the world. Here, as people grew… Read More →

The Feminist Bookstore Video and Yes Means Yes

That prankster Jessica Valenti, of Feministing, is back at it (in the aftermath of her book Full Frontal Feminism) with an essay collection in progress entitled Yes Means Yes. As sometimes happens, I’ve… Read More →

Absolutely Fun and True Facts, Chapter One: I Am Defamed

Dear readers, I’m working my way through a draft of my dissertation prospectus, with a little help from Soren Kierkegaard’s Stages on Life’s Way. I’m also really enjoying teaching Persuasion and The Bluest… Read More →

ACLA 2008: Literary Character at the Threshold of the City

Dear readers, The comparativists among you may want to consider joining me for a seminar at this year’s American Comparative Literature Association conference, in the gritty, glamorous city they call Long Beach. My… Read More →