I was actually appalled by the first paragraph of this essay, the idea that there are such real restrictions on what one can read or write about publicly at serious educational institutions. I am privileged, I guess, to have done my degrees and written my theses in the late 70s and early 80s. There were lots of prudes and would-be censors about, but one could still win respect—and good scholarships—by reading and writing and speaking outrageously.
To be accurate, The Road doesn't feature actual baby eating, though those involved are in the "pre-dinner" stage: the baby is roasted, and spinning on a spit.
Lots of non-baby cannibalism in other literature. Shakespeare (who only wrote about half the play), in Titus Andronicus, certainly is among the most notorious in the scene where a murdered relative is baked into a pie and fed to an innocent array of others at a meal.
"Just one?" made me laugh out loud. I have moved my one, long unread, Flannery O'Connor book from the shelf to the coffee table. It's not The Violent Bear it Away, but it will be an overdue start. Many thanks.
And, of course, there's Jonathan Swift....
I was actually appalled by the first paragraph of this essay, the idea that there are such real restrictions on what one can read or write about publicly at serious educational institutions. I am privileged, I guess, to have done my degrees and written my theses in the late 70s and early 80s. There were lots of prudes and would-be censors about, but one could still win respect—and good scholarships—by reading and writing and speaking outrageously.
To be accurate, The Road doesn't feature actual baby eating, though those involved are in the "pre-dinner" stage: the baby is roasted, and spinning on a spit.
Lots of non-baby cannibalism in other literature. Shakespeare (who only wrote about half the play), in Titus Andronicus, certainly is among the most notorious in the scene where a murdered relative is baked into a pie and fed to an innocent array of others at a meal.
Oh Doug. Leave it to you to make this subject absolutely compelling and timely.
"Just one?" made me laugh out loud. I have moved my one, long unread, Flannery O'Connor book from the shelf to the coffee table. It's not The Violent Bear it Away, but it will be an overdue start. Many thanks.
Speaking of audacity, do you do reviews these days? I have my seventh book of fiction, Dog on Fire, coming out in March.
Well, I’ll take it as a VCFA lecture, a good strong dose of Glover on a gloomy November morning. I certainly needed it.