Cars, Cars, Cars

Cars are around us all the time, but unless we're riding in an uncomfortable one, we don't think much about them.  The coverage in the national daily papers of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit gives us a chance to reflect on our relationship with this changing piece of technology.  Part of the fun of reading about new vehicles comes from the great writing that is inspired by well-designed cars.  The best American writer on cars is Dan Neil, who writes the Rumble Seat column for the Los Angeles Times.  (Scroll down and click on the car reviews link.)  He reviews the full range of automobiles, from economy, family, and lifestyle cars to sports, luxury, and super-luxury cars.   Check out this snippet of Neil's writing.  About the meticulously restored 1963 Ferrari Lusso once owned by the late actor Steve McQueen, Neil wrote, "in the Moneterey [California] sunlight, the metallic paint ignites with a pale opalescent fire, shimmering in shades of honey and oxblood....Unlike a modern car that has no scent of machinery about it, the Lusso is delectably perfumed with the smell of leather, fuel and oil. The whiteface gauges are as bright as a Hollywood smile."       

Something Else to Do with Your Cellphones

Here's another piece from the New York Times. This one deals with best selling novels in Japan that were written on cellphones, yet another signal of the end of civilization. Well, maybe it's just a sign that I'm getting old. In any case, it's good to see people interested in telling stories, but it's troublesome to think that the only device they can use to transmit their ideas is a cellphone. Of course, unless you're scrawling letters in dirt with your fingers, technology and written expression go hand in hand. Nevertheless, writing can be such a physical, visceral act that I've always felt the less stuff gets in the way, the better. Using your hands to hold pen and paper, or typing away with all ten fingers, makes a certain amount of physical and mental sense. Using your thumbs to write a novel? Sure, we all write differently, but it shouldn't come as a surprise that these cellphone novels don't pay attention to the development of character, plot, or themes; that is, that such writing ignores the strategies that make good writing worth reading. To many, however, that's exactly why they are popular and worth reading, because they ignore what your teachers tell you is supposed to make a good book. (Just a reminder: we don't tell you what makes a good book; we try to teach you how to reach such conclusions independently.) In any case, this kind of writing strikes me as one more sign that newer technology increasingly facilitates little more than narcissism.

Welcome!

This blog is a revival of one that I tried to maintain (unsuccessfully) when I taught The Art of Criticism in the fall of 2005. I will use this space to comment on my reading and listening and to post links to interesting readings online.

I'll begin with a deftly written piece pointed out to me by Mr. Preston from Friday's New York Times that you can find here. (You may have to register with the Times web site to view the piece.) I am not familiar with the writer, but I hope to read more of his work soon. In the print edition of the newspaper, a little box labeled the piece a "Facilities Review," which hinted at the author's wry take on his subject. The "review" captures the absurd duality of writing about a public toilet (low brow) in the New York Times (high brow). If you read it, post a comment and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!