Things Noted Here and There
Rónán McDonald's The Death of the Critic launches a dialogue,"Who killed the literary critic?" Salon, 22 May, between Louis Bayard and Laura Miller. McDonald's book is reviewed in John Freeman's"‘Death' deals the critic a cautionary diagnosis," Boston Globe, 5 March, and John Mullan's"Literature's self-implosion," TLS, 12 March. Thanks to Mary Dudziak for the tip.
Richard Byrne and Robin Wilson,"Palestinian-American Scholar at Columbia U. Gets 2nd Chance at Tenure," CHE, 27 May, reports that, after a narrowly negative recommendation last fall on tenure for Joseph Massad at Columbia, the University has established a new ad hoc tenure review committee and will give his case a rare second look.
Edward G. Lengel,"Why Didn't We Listen to Their War Stories?" Washington Post, 25 May, explores why the stories of World War I have made little impression in American popular culture. A member of the history department at the University of Virginia, Lengel is the author of To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne, 1918. See also: John Quiggen,"The Great and Unremembered War," Crooked Timber, 29 May. Thanks to David Fahey for the tip.
Les Carpenter,"A Father's Shadow," Washington Post, 25 May, tells the sad story of civil rights hero James Bevel and his history of abusing women, including his own daughters. Several of them gathered up the courage they inherited from him and his first wife, Diane Nash, and he now faces a 15 year prison sentence. Thanks to Phil Muller for the tip.
Finally, congratulations to our former colleague, Jonathan Dresner, who has accepted an appointment at Pittsburg State University in Kansas, and to Cliopatria's friend, Brian Ulrich, who has accepted a one year appointment at Colgate University.