The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC raised its “suggested admission” fee to $20. So the NYTimes sent a reporter to see what happens if you give the cashier a couple of quarters:
In truth, there was not much noticeable scorn. There was, instead, that brand of aggressive disregard particular to New York that is sometimes much more effective in evoking shame and extracting money.
Question: I’ve settled upon the essays I plan to read with my kids before we undertake Rosenbaum. We’ll scour classics of literary criticism pre-1900 (when the critical language is far more accessible to mere mortals). I’ve already settled on Wordsworth’s “Preface,” Shelly’s “Defense,” and Matthew Arnold’s exploration of poetic greatness. Have you or any of your literary mishbrucha read Erich Auerbach’s “Mimesis”? It has no intro, and each chapter seems dedicated to a single literary work. Is there one chapter that best represents his thought? I plan on reading “The Scar of Odysseus” soon, but I’m happy to take advice and follow a different path.
I never read Mimesis, but I’ve got a copy at home; I’ll take a look tonight or tomorrow. The only Arnold I’ve read was Culture & Anarchy, which I remember digging. I’ll take a look at that, too, I guess.
the arnold essay is called “The Study of Poetry.” It’s probably laughable to most learned critics, but I think it’s a great starting place for teenagers to question what it is their teachers are shoving down their throats. In it, btw, he makes a convincing case that all great European poetry–including English–derives from the French. Please don’t go to great lengths about Mimesis; if time permits I may read it myself this summer. Also, I was stunned driving past KC’s stadium–it’s fabulous. It didn’t seem as if it contained any luxury boxes, but from the highway it looked amazing.