Assignment 1

The Great Books and I are getting acquainted, but I decided that rather than read only books on the list I would allow myself to mix in other books to help me past tough patches. Variety is the spice of life, and I need help growing as a writer as well as a thinker.


I've taken the first step on my Great Books journey by finishing The Iliad. It was the kind of book where I immediately wanted to run around to the beginning and read it again. I still have the Odyssey, but I'm putting it off in case Freud is a bother and I need extra incentive. I've made up my mind to handle the Great Idea of honor by combining the judgment of Paris with stuff I'm yanking out of Episodes 1 and 23. Should be fun if I can ever find the time to pull it together. In any case one book down.






My freshman year of college I read Ordering Your Private World, a book that emphasized the importance of character development over talent. Ironically, the author himself had an affair on his book tour. In any case, I've been trying to develop into a person of heroic virtue ever since with little hope of success. The Life You Save May Be Your Own reminded me that talent matters too. While heroic virtue certainly helps (see Dorothy Day) it isn't required for me to begin using my talents. Each of the four authors really spoke to me as I grow. Flannery's assertion that grace can repulse us was right where I'm living. Walker Percy as a self-taught philosopher encouraged me to keep going. Thomas Merton taught me not to reject the good things when you're unhappy about the bad. Dorothy Day helped me to stop feeling bad about being a convert. Converts do good work too.



My favorite poet is John Donne. His major themes are sex and sanctity and sometimes he gets his chocolate on his peanut butter and vice versa. It's all good and very clever. I needed to read him again. The first poem I heard is still my favorite--"Batter My Heart Three Person God." It always rings true, and impresses me all the more as I think of it as a smart inversion of Jeremiah's complaint.

Coming Attractions

nookIE needs

Kurt is my dealer when it comes to technology. Buying our first computer blew my mind and ever since I've needed more, more, more. My latest tech addiction is the nook from Barnes and Noble. No matter where I am, my reading goes with me. Making notes is simple and I don't feel like I'm defacing the book. The unit is comfortable even after hours of reading. Bold and graphic, my Jonathan Adler cover protects my investment in style. Perfection has been achieved.
Not! How is it that the more you love something the more you expect from it? The longer I use the nook, the longer my list of fantasy upgrades becomes.
So, what is more perfect than perfection?
1. Crossword puzzle mode with the opportunity to subscribe to the NY Times puzzle.
2. Nearest B&N detector--When we were on vacation I really would have appreciated a homing beacon.
3. An absolute must is a more comprehensive dictionary. My reading list is more challenging than most, but only being able to define one out of four requests is disappointing.
4. The power of technology harnessed to enhance and simplify the reading experience should be a natural fit for religious reading. A breviary is a complicated book to use. A nook version that did the work of figuring out what goes where and when automatically would be a great help to devotion. A static version produced periodically that I could subscribe to would work also.
5. More of the foundational Catholic books would be nice. Specifically, the Catechism and The Catholic Bible my RCIA instructor gave me.
6. Lastly, the almost holy grail--the Great Books with a digital Syntopicon. For the uninitiated, the syntopicon organizes all the great ideas and every reference to the great ideas in the Great Books. Digitally enhancing the Syntopicon means whatever interests you you can simply click directly to anything written about it.
All of That is to say, nook happily leaves me wanting more.