David Foster Wallace (1962-2008) said, “Irony, entertaining as it is, serves an almost exclusively negative function,” he once wrote. “It’s critical and destructive, a ground-clearing. Surely this is the way our postmodern fathers saw it. But irony is singularly unuseful when it comes to constructing anything to replace the hypocrisies it debunks.” This quoted in The Independent, which ran a final tribute today.
All posts by Phil
Beware, Walkers
This should be timely news to follow Lars’ last post. “Walkers, beware of where sidewalk ends.” (via WSJ)
In related news, the beautiful, kind-hearted people of America are burning wood in there fireplaces and stoves as an alternative to high-priced natural gas furnaces. Of course, some of the uglies among are complaining. We won’t name names here. They can speak for themselves.
That Glorious Name
Lutheran and otherwise great fellow Gene Edward Veith agrees with The Vatican’s latest pronouncement: The name of the Lord Almighty, spelled YHWH, should not be spoken. I don’t know what to think about this. I love the names of the Lord. I think modern Christians would have a closer relationship with Him if they knew several of his glorious names, which mean The Lord who see, The Lord provides, The Lord is my peace, The Almighty, and The All-Sufficent. Didn’t the Lord tell Moses His name when he asked, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” (Exodus 3)
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
Remembered but never spoken is awkward.
When Your Stuff Is Funny Enough . . .
. . . it will make it into the Congressional Record, said humorist Will Rogers. He was explaining the honor he had in having his material read into the Congressional Record. Normally, he said, you had to work your way up to being an actual senator before your stuff is funny enough to make it into the Congressional Record. Perhaps, Rogers was someone who could talk politics with common folk in his day. Mickey Mclean wonders if many of us still can.
I’m not sure I can do it well in person. I don’t have much opportunity to do it, but when I do, I find it’s much easier to lean on general cynicism (all politicians are blind and corrupt; they all waste our money) than to talk over something specific. I can wrangle a tough issue with one friend of mine, but we mostly agree, so it isn’t a real challenge. When I’m with people I disagree with, I usually just listen.
Short and Dark
Also from the Literary Saloon comes this review of a German crime novel, The Murder Farm.
Are the New Just Like the Old?
The Literary Saloon points to an article out of England titled, “Can intelligent literature survive in the digital age?” The answer to that is probably mixed, but the Saloon quotes a small bit that claims the new crop of British writers have never heard of Twitter and are embarrassed by blogging. When will most literary folk have a good perspective on technology? Maybe after another 40 years in the desert when the older ones have died off, we’ll get around to understanding where and what the Internet is good for.
But I don’t blame them much. “Now, many serious writers complain, challenging fiction doesn’t appeal; ‘difficult’ novels don’t sell.” That’s got to bite, and online writing or other new media are good whipping boys for that pain.
But there’s more too. Literary agent Clare Alexander is quoted saying:
There’s also the other side of the digital revolution – that original ideas filter through to print from the internet. Yes, occasionally a blog becomes a book – about sex, usually – and the really original ideas percolate through, but most stuff online is crap!
I don’t believe the publishing industry will have an ‘iPod moment’. People say that the new generation isn’t interested in reading books, but they forget that this is the generation that grew up reading Harry Potter.
They won’t have an iPod moment because they appear to need whole bottle of Wodehouse’s Buck U-Uppo. A breath of fresh air is what can stay outside the door as far as publishers are concerned. Still I doubt all is lost. In several years, no doubt, a bunch of homeschoolers will take over the industry.
Reasons For and Against Prayer
Jimmy Davis gives six excuses for not praying, and as if that wasn’t good enough, he follows it with 17 reasons to pray.
Boltz: “God made me this way”
I heard from Jared (through Facebook) that singer/songwriter Ray Boltz has publicly announced his homosexuality. I guess he doesn’t perform much music anymore, but it’s still a disappointing revelation.
“This is what it really comes down to,” he says. “If this is the way God made me, then this is the way I’m going to live. It’s not like God made me this way and he’ll send me to hell if I am who he created me to be … I really feel closer to God because I no longer hate myself.”
I think I can understand that feeling, but it doesn’t make him right. God did not make him homosexual, and the Bible has strong words against homosexual acts.
But I wonder if the grace of salvation cannot overcome bad theology like this. That’s probably a fruitless debate. The larger point is that Boltz, like all of us, needs to repent of what God’s law clearly condemns (1 Timothy 1:8-14). I’m disappointed he didn’t get the sound Bible teaching he should have received all these years.
Score!
I love when this happens, though it’s never happened to me. A Wisconsin man pays $1 for an 1848 printing of The Life of George Washington by John Marshall. It’s apparently worth several thousand dollars. Wow.
Self-Serve Libraries in Wales
The library system in Cardiff, Wales, is going self-service. I take that to mean visitors will be able take a book off the shelves, scan it, get a receipt with due date, and walk out with the book without having to interact with a nasty librarian who will sniff at their selection. (I’m kidding about the librarian–really. I know many delightful librarians, cute little women who help me check out Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb every time I go. I couldn’t do without them.)
Anyway, the Cardiff library system plans to put those librarians to better use than checking out books. Of course, not everyone believes this is a good idea. An engineer is quoted saying he doesn’t see the point. “It’s not as if the library is ever so busy that you have to queue to take books out.” [via Rare Book News]