What's an English major to do?

These days? Not much, but - and I come from a long line of book nerds who agree with this - that's not the point.

The economy is bad and by all accounts it will be getting far worse in the coming months. College grads are being hit hard, so - stands to reason - many current college students are attempting to hedge their bets and major in something 'useful.' (I use this term loosely because attempting to find utility in this type of context can be tough. Who determines usefulness in a college major anyway? And how does one know if it is useful? But I digress.)

A recent article in the The New York Times investigates the drop in humanities majors. College kids (and their parents I'm sure) are opting for majors that are considered more 'useful,' and more likely to get them a job upon graduation. Being able to read books and write thoughtful prose about them is not considered high on the "going to get you a job list." Perhaps it'll get you into graduate school, but that just costs more money, and many don't want an advanced degree.

So what's the point? Why major in English (or English and History together, which is what I did. I know - real useful - and I'm not a professor, high school teacher (though I was) or an attorney; however, I am gainfully employed and I'm not flipping burgers.)

Learning and education has become more about a stepping stone to making money than an end in itself, and that's a sad situation. Don't get me wrong, education is absolutely about bettering yourself, and for many it's the ticket out of poverty, but a college diploma should mean more than a ticket to a lucrative job. It should mean that you've learned about the world and that you appreciate life a little more because of it.

So again, why major in English? Because reading great books teaches you about people. You will will come to appreciate the vicissitudes of life, the fickle finger of fate, the patterns that comprise human life. And, as Umberto Eco, says, it will teach you about death, a lesson that is important. In a novel, the story ends. In our lives, the story just keeps going. By understanding endings and the way people handle them, we are able to understand life's processes. We are also able to observe dynamic, multi-faceted people grappling with issues many of us find difficult to understand or will never experience. This, too, increases our understanding of humanity. I understood far more about my first real relationship from reading Anna Karenina than from any other activity. When the relationship was over, and I wanted to understand my feelings, the only persuasive explanation I could find was in Anna's relationship with Vronsky. It was of inestimable valuable to me.

Nowhere in the previous paragraph did I mention resumes, black interview suits, or finding job leads on monster.com. Jobs come and go. Economic upswings and downswings happen regularly, but having four years to delve deep into study and learn a few things about who we are and where we're going only comes along once. Majoring in English is never a waste of time or un-useful. I use my English and history major everyday, sometimes in the most creative and unforeseen ways.

Maeve Binchy Talks about Heart and Soul

You Tube doesn't want to embed the video, so follow link to Maeve Binchy's chat about her new book.

A Kindling Argument

The Atlantic Monthly opens the ring for argument over the impact of Amazon's new Kindle. With a sleek new design and better features, some are saying this may be the instrument to nail the door shut on the codex. I have my doubts on that. I'm standing strong and stating publicly (and loudly) that I will never buy one. Alas, I'm afraid my voice will be like a lost bird chirp in the wind.

Read for and against from the AM.

I had an interesting chat a few years ago with a museum archivist who said that paper was the best medium to keep information because it's relatively independent. All you need is a climate controlled space, clean hands and you keep paper protected for decades. If you have text on a floppy disc, not only do you have to have the floppy disc, but you also have to have the computer that plays floppy discs. With our ever-changing technology, you can imagine how difficult (and space inefficient) this is.

I bring this up in relation to my thoughts about marginalia and how important these insights can be to understanding writers and their written work. For example, The Tempest is fascinating and clearly influential to Sylvia Plath's Ariel collection. How much more interesting this connection becomes, however, when you read the marginalia. Deeper insight and great understanding are possible as a result of reading what Plath thought about specific moments, characters, bits of language in Shakespeare's play.

What do we lose when we jump on the technology bandwagon? Granted, there is much to be gained, and I admit that I am tempted by the Kindle, but what happens to our society and, more importantly, to posterity's view of our society when we become physically intangible and go digital?

These are interesting questions, ones that will not be answered for the foreseeable future, but ones that I think beg contemplation. Print will never disappear completely, but it may diminish in prevalence. How will this ultimately affect our reading selves?

What Your Stuff Says About You

Ever passed a co-worker's cube and wondered why they felt the need to display a huge smiley face above their desk? Or why people who say they are really neat actually have jumbled closets and junky drawers? Sam Gosling's Snoop: What Your Stuff Says about You is a fascinating investigation of people's stuff - and what it reveals.

Gosling starts with a basic psych primer, explaining the five basic personality traits and how they can be identified. He slowly builds to a larger analysis of how things, actions, and appearance affect other people's views of you. Essentially, people sing their personalities everyday and you can figure it out - if you know where to look.

People who walk with their heads up and their arms open are considered by other people to be open. People who shuffle with their heads down are not. People who have a variety of unique items - books on different subjects, unique art - are considered open. People with a lot of books and a lot of art that are all on the same subject are not.

People who display pictures of their family may be buoyed by frequent glances at these favorite people OR they may be showing off their beautiful family - it all depends on where the pictures are placed. Pictures that can only be seen by the person at the desk are for their personal use. Pictures displayed outwards - towards the guest seats on the opposite side of the desk may indicate pride and the desire to show off.

People respond better in studies to other people who are considered concientious - neat, clean, organized - versus the people who appear narcissistic - every hair in place, expensive clothes, indication of intense up-keep (expensive highlights, makeup, etc).

A person may say they are organized, but only a look at the private areas of the house will tell the tale for sure. Superficially organized people - or people who are trying to impress - will only organize public areas - their desk, the common areas of their house, etc; whereas, truly organized people will not rest until every part of their living life is organized - both public and private.

If you are interested in finding out more about your friends/family/coworkers or you think you might want to be the next Sherlock Holmes, learning how to snoop effectively is key. Gosling's book is a reveletory look at how people's stuff says much more about them then they think it does.