"I am not one who was born in the custody of wisdom. I am one who is fond of olden times and intense in quest of the sacred knowing of the ancients." Gustave Courbet

15 October 2014

Fervor.


How should we read? Slowly, with love, openness, and with our inner ear cocked. Then we should reread, reread, reread, and do so aloud as often as possible. As a boy of eight, I would walk about chanting Housman's and William Blake's lyrics to myself, and I still do, less frequently yet with undiminished fervor. Why should we engage in this apparently solitary activity? To increase our wit and imagination, our sense of intimacy -- in short, our entire consciousness -- and also to heal our pain. Until you become yourself, what benefit can you be to others.

Harold Bloom

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