Ok not literally, but he did condemn university training that focuses exclusively on job skills at the expense of classical liberal education. Something tells me he'd be a huge fan of PLS (did you know that he was offered a job teaching at ND back when he was Cardinal Ratzinger? He said no, obviously, which was a real tragedy for Notre Dame but a great gain for the universal Church).

Tess

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/another-thing-to-sort-of-pin-on-david-foster-wallace.html?_r=1&ref=magazine  

I was directed here from The Atlantic, in case anyone cares.  Fun and evocative article.  Happy reading!  Also, I just started Cutting for Stone, and so far, so good.  

Nick

Last night, I holed myself up in my room with a glass of red wine to finish Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar.  Reminiscent of Salinger, it drew me totally into the harrowing experience of a young woman's disillusionment and eventual insanity in the face of society's hypocrisies.

The writing style surprised me; it was not as lucid as I had expected coming from Plath, who was primarily a poet.  Once I got used to it, however, I began to really enjoy her odd and creative metaphors.  More than anything, I think she captured (in an extreme example) the doubts that face every intelligent, educated young woman who worries about balancing wife/motherhood with her desire for achievement, any young person who worries about the meaning and direction of their life.  It was a difficult read at moments, but I recommend it.

Has anyone read it who would like to discuss?

LC