“A political reading of Shakespeare is bound to be less interesting than a Shakespearean reading of politics[.]”
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“The value of literature lies in these intermittent ‘true impressions.’ A novel moves back and forth between the world of objects, of actions, of appearances, and that other world, from which these ‘true impressions’ come and which moves us to believe that the good we hang on to so tenaciously—in the face of evil, so obstinately—is no illusion.”
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“The difference between this painting and the others the late Rembrandt painted is the difference between seeing and being seen. That is, in this picture he sees himself seeing while also being seen, and no doubt it was only in the Baroque period with its penchant for mirrors within mirrors, the play within the play, staged scenes and a belief in the interdependence of all things, when moreover craftsmanship attained heights witnessed neither before nor since, that such a painting was possible. But it exists in our age, it sees for us.”
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Mark’s 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at Mark’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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