March 10, 2004

Neat Stuff to Read

What do you do once you're ABD? Read a bunch of random magazine articles and blog entries, of course! Should you be so inclined, check out these links:


  • Want to know more about the philosopher Richard Rorty? This CrossCurrents article will fill you in on his background. (He's the grandson of Walter Rauschenbusch, the Social Gospel leader.)
  • Timothy Burke's latest blog entry is both a moving tribute to his father and an interesting meditation on political (and non-political) will.
  • For Us, the Living--Robert Heinlein's lost first novel--has been found and published. (My favorite detail from this New York Times article: the president in the novel was an Annapolis classmate of Heinlein.) Personally, I'd be just as glad if it had stayed lost...
  • Niall Ferguson discusses "the end of Europe" (and the nature of empire) in this speech at the American Enterprise Institute. (via Political Theory Daily Review)
  • "Hey, Professor, Assimilate This!" That's the title to this Washington Post article on the latest controversy centered around Harvard's Samuel Huntington.
  • Here's a speech given by Scott McLemee when he accepted an award for his book reviewing.

Random question: if you could wish some famous writer's first novel (like For Us, the Living) into oblivion, what would it be?

Two random comments on movie casting:


  • This week, David Mamet's latest movie (Spartan) will be released in theaters. According to the IMDB, the plot revolves around an investigation of the kidnapping of the president's daughter; interestingly enough, one actress appearing in the movie (albeit in a minor role) is the daughter of the Democratic presidential candidate, Alexandra Kerry.
  • Rumor has it that Nicole Kidman has signed on to play the White Witch in the up-coming film version of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. (Lots of rumors say that she secretly toured the site where filming will take place.) If this is true, this strikes me as a bad idea: she's too well-known as a celebrity, and will bring too many past associations to mind. (It would have been an even worse idea to hire Sean Connery for the part of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, as many fans wanted. Ian McKellen was a far better choice, since he's a brilliant, famous actor, but he's been more active in his stage work and is therefore much less familiar to most movie-goers.)

One of these days, I'll quit writing so much about children's fantasy literature. I promise!

Posted by Ed at March 10, 2004 04:26 PM

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