Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe – An exhausting biography that thinks it’s a lyrical novel. But somehow affecting in the end.

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf – An insightful and lyrical exploration of not very much.

Daisy Miller by Henry James – A considered and non-lyrical exploration of even less.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carré – Finally an actual character. But not lyrical.

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert  – Possibly lyrical in French. In English translation, bland and ridiculous.

The Grass Harp by Truman Capote – Gently told and thoroughly lyrical, with characters galore, until the disappointing last chapter.

My Winter World by Stephen Evans. Lyrical in aspect if not prose, but “mixes whimsy, grief, courtroom drama, and charm.” Coming soon to an internet near you.

The leaves were dropping yesterday off one particular maple outside my porch like a blizzard of yellow-red. They fell for about twenty minutes then stopped as if on a timer. There was no wind to make them fall. It was as if they decided in committee: Hear, hear, the leaves of the left side of Mapleville will come to order. Today's business is:

FFFFFFFFFFFAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG.

I am reading Virginia Woolf's diary (I don't think she'll mind) and found this, which was pretty much how I was feeling yesterday, except about being in Richmond and Nessa's children, whom I would be happy to have to tea.  

I recently saw an article online about the diminishing number of American college students choosing arts-related degrees. Liberal arts degrees have declined about 10% over a decade, while English/Literature majors have declined more than 30%. Most students these days pursue what I would call career preparation, like business or computer science.

Somehow we now have gotten the idea that a college education is or should be job training. I know I didn't look at it that way when I entered university (many years ago!). I took courses in a variety of disciplines, without regard to (and in some cases antithetical to) career prospects. My job training was going to be law school, though I took a slight detour into writing about lawyers instead.

I know everyone has a different financial situation, and has needs and expectations that affect these choices. But for most, I would hope college would be a time to learn about you, and the world, and the human condition. Follow a discipline if that is what interests you, but keep your vision wide and see what's out there.

I had a few low-paying positions in the beginning. But in the long run, my degree in English/Philosophy turned out to be excellent career prep. Being able to think and write has kept me well employed over the last 40 years or so. And I have always been grateful for the expansive view that my liberal arts degree afforded me, and the rich life that a curious mind and wide-ranging education have allowed me year after year.