Because I know y'all love to hear the tales of moronitude.
(Later today I'll describe sweetly the good things about the Bad Class... but not right this minute.)
From last night's class party:
Dude from china: So, I don't get how, why, it says "May, pour into my heart." Is a month. How can one talk to month?
Fuzzy prof: Well, it's like you're talking to the month... you know... let's see...
Dude: Instead I think he is talking about month as metaphor, for, something else.
Fuzzy prof: No, you, see it's this whole poetic tradition, to talk to the thing itself. Like, think of TS Idiot and his poem where he's talking to Avril. "Avril is the cruelest month". It's like that.
Me: *worn thin, rude* No it's not. It's totally not. TS Idiot is not addressing Avril personified. He might be personifying it but not addressing the poem to it like a dialogue. It's like if I said, Mary, open the door. It's not like saying "Mary is an open door." TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
Fuzzy prof: *thinking hard, screwing up brow* Oh. Yeah... I guess so...
Dude from china: *is no wiser for the discussion*
Man! Tha stupidness! I can't even tell you... several people were listening to this exchange, looking confused. Instead of irritated. If I get to teach anything i will cram information into them. First. Before they get to "discuss".
Sing, O Muse, of the fallen times when a professor of literature can neither recognize nor explain apostrophe...
Posted by: J | May 19, 2005 at 01:35 PM