While John was doing Beowulf on Personal Canon Formation, I listened to Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf during the morning dog walk along Tampa Bay. I remember exactly where I was standing when Beowulf died. My dog has since died and winters in Florida are now dead to us as Canadians. I will revisit Beowulf and John’s essays in the near future. The poem is more relevant than ever.
So sorry for your loss Rona. My graduate students will be reading Beowulf this semester, and so there will be some more forthcoming material on the poem, both on my stack and on theirs.
Matthew and John, this is an excellent interview. It's delightful to encounter two people with such curiosity and wide-ranging interests and talents. It is not difficult to discern why you have become friends.
I majored in English at college and have never regretted it. And English at Vassar meant literature. I took courses in Shakespeare, Chaucer, and medieval literature, including the first medieval narrative class offered at 400 level; courses in the craft of writing were not so much emphasized, although being able to do deep research in original texts and write were essential skills. (I should note, I became a writer-editor-interviewer and was early on a freelance reporter, so all that literature certainly did not hurt my career. My son, now 37, is a great and wide-ranging reader, so I am happy he is not of the generation(s) that followed him and don't see the point of reading. At NYU, he had to "defend" every text he read for his personal four-year project. His thesis was titled "Zen and Psychsocial Acoustics.") Stories, no matter how long ago they might have been written, are how we communicate our lives, and the kinds of courses John teaches, which sound fascinating, are valuable. Ability to bring literature alive, as John seems to be doing through his own innovations in the classroom, so that reading and immersion in literature do not seem rote and pointless, can make a great deal of difference.
I agree with Rona, too, that "the poem is more relevant than ever." Poetry, I believe, can be change and save a life.
This is exactly the kind of conversation that keeps me searching, reading, and loving Substack. Thank you, Matthew, and I’m happy to be a new subscriber to John’s newsletter.
An excellent interview that gives us genuine insight into John, the person, thinker, reader, and listener, and that's due not just to the interesting person that is John, but once again in no small measure to Matthew's preparation and the specific, probing questions he asked. Well, done, fellas!
Love the insights about intentionality. Books are intended to be read, but we have to make a habit of actually looking for the books that benefit us best. We might just find buried treasure.
While John was doing Beowulf on Personal Canon Formation, I listened to Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf during the morning dog walk along Tampa Bay. I remember exactly where I was standing when Beowulf died. My dog has since died and winters in Florida are now dead to us as Canadians. I will revisit Beowulf and John’s essays in the near future. The poem is more relevant than ever.
So sorry for your loss Rona. My graduate students will be reading Beowulf this semester, and so there will be some more forthcoming material on the poem, both on my stack and on theirs.
I read Beowulf in high school and didn't understand it. I went back through it with John using Heaney's translation and it was marvelous.
The dragon and the monsters are terrific for all ages, but there’s too much genealogy and honor for teenagers.
Matthew and John, this is an excellent interview. It's delightful to encounter two people with such curiosity and wide-ranging interests and talents. It is not difficult to discern why you have become friends.
I majored in English at college and have never regretted it. And English at Vassar meant literature. I took courses in Shakespeare, Chaucer, and medieval literature, including the first medieval narrative class offered at 400 level; courses in the craft of writing were not so much emphasized, although being able to do deep research in original texts and write were essential skills. (I should note, I became a writer-editor-interviewer and was early on a freelance reporter, so all that literature certainly did not hurt my career. My son, now 37, is a great and wide-ranging reader, so I am happy he is not of the generation(s) that followed him and don't see the point of reading. At NYU, he had to "defend" every text he read for his personal four-year project. His thesis was titled "Zen and Psychsocial Acoustics.") Stories, no matter how long ago they might have been written, are how we communicate our lives, and the kinds of courses John teaches, which sound fascinating, are valuable. Ability to bring literature alive, as John seems to be doing through his own innovations in the classroom, so that reading and immersion in literature do not seem rote and pointless, can make a great deal of difference.
I agree with Rona, too, that "the poem is more relevant than ever." Poetry, I believe, can be change and save a life.
What a delightful interview! I will definitely check out his substack - new music yes please! and that Tolkien seminar sounds really great.
This is exactly the kind of conversation that keeps me searching, reading, and loving Substack. Thank you, Matthew, and I’m happy to be a new subscriber to John’s newsletter.
An excellent interview that gives us genuine insight into John, the person, thinker, reader, and listener, and that's due not just to the interesting person that is John, but once again in no small measure to Matthew's preparation and the specific, probing questions he asked. Well, done, fellas!
I loved reading this and how John got into what he does and where he is now. He's got such a great newsletter.
Love the insights about intentionality. Books are intended to be read, but we have to make a habit of actually looking for the books that benefit us best. We might just find buried treasure.