For the longest time I have been meaning to get back to—ugh!—blogging. Regular readers, should any remain, will see that this is the first post of 2022. I haven’t broken any promises with the hiatus and have no excuses to make.
I’ve been busy. I know – who hasn’t been busy in UK academia? Nevertheless, the first half of this year was intense, with several major deadlines that left little mental spare capacity. Plus I’m not getting any younger. I think my recovery times may be lengthening – I don’t remember always being this tired at the end of every day. And then there is the wearisome effects of the ongoing disaster of UK politics, which passed through its latest crisis in this past week with the resignation of Boris Johnson. The runners are now lining up for the next one as the Conservative party leadership contest gets under way. Ho hum. Plus ça change. Perhaps age is making me more cynical. Or is it experience? Added to all this is a feeling, no doubt exacerbated by social media, that there are just too many words spewing forth into the world these days. Why add to that?
And yet, and yet, there are important things to think about. I’ve always regarded blogging as a form of thinking out loud, a discipline that forces me to do my research and get my thoughts in order on a whole range to topics. I’ve missed the rigour of that process.
So here goes, again. Though not just yet. My aim is to keep things short for now. So let me leave you with someone else’s thoughts. Here is Brandon Taylor’s substack post – apparently that’s what we call blogposts these days – on Netflix’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. I haven’t seen the show or read the book (yet) but I do so enjoy Taylor’s ability to write in a style that manages to be loose, funny and razor sharp.
My feeling about blogging is always that I write a post when I have something to say, never just to meet some arbitrary schedule. I like that you do the same. BTW., I’ve read Persuasion a few times. It has a reputation of being Austen’s most “mature” novel, but unfortunately in my experience that means “least fun”. The trailer I’ve seen of this adaptation looks like a train-wreck, but I can see why they didn’t want to do a faithful adaptation. The real question is why do an adaptation at all.
BTW., where is the “tick to be notified of responses” checkbox?
… although, to be fair, the article you linked does make me want to give the novel another go.
I hope to follow the same principle Mike. But I am feeling the desire to get back in the groove.
No idea where the checkbox went – sorry.
Nice to see you back Stephen!
Thank you Henry. Now, if you could just let me in on the secret of your productivity…
The constant need, never satisfied, for the approbation of my peers
Oh, I’m trying to give that up.