Believe me, in painting his Saint-Cecilia, Raphael gave the preference to music over poetry. And he was right; music appeals to the heart, whereas writing is addressed to the intellect; it communicates ideas directly, like a perfume.
—Honoré de Balzac (translated by Clara Bell & James Waring)
—from “Massimilla Doni” (1837)
chrestomathy · /kreh-STAHM-ə-thee/ · /krɛsˈtɒməθɪ/. noun. A collection of choice literary passages, most often by a single author, and moste often to assist in learning a foreign language. From Greek khrēstos (useful) + mathein (to learn); from PIE root mendh- (to learn). See also: chrestomathic.
“…although the Diary of a Romantic Artist contains some of what we might expect, it also served as many other things: work journal, travel notebook, jotter for a proposed Dictionnaire des Beaux-Arts, aide-memoire, file of sent letters, chrestomathy, address book, and so on…” (Julian Barnes)
“This is also the topic of ‘Shadow and Ash’—an intellectual chrestomathy whose fragmentary method is finally its content.” (Samuel R. Delany)
“The introduction to this chrestomathy, the troubled prolegomena you have just read, is all the explanation I can give at this time, of who I am and what all this means.” (Harlan Ellison)
“Daniel glances at Barnes, who is going through a chrestomathy of head-shaking, throat-slitting, eye-bulging, and hand-waving.” (Neal Stephenson)
Don’t let the mundane title fool you…this flip book is stupendous, dark and beautiful. Thanks, Reader S. → I made a really big flip book during quarantine ※ Flipbook Gangnam Style -vs- Psy Gangnam Style
At the always entertaining Strong Language, the curious history of the Sofa King. → It’s Sofa King famous!
“It didn’t occur to any of them to bring a map, let alone a compass.” → The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months ※ ► Golding’s Introduction to Lord of the Flies
“…a single player iPad game where players help NASA classify coral reefs…” → NeMO-Net
The Pudding has been on fire lately. Take a musical quiz because it’s interesting, and contribute to identifying “generational gaps in music” at the same time. Also, I totally have Gen-Zers beat when it comes to recognizing Taylor Dane. → Music Challenge
The uplifting story of Emerson, age 11, and her mail carrier, Doug. Also, if you’re an American, support the USPS! → Emerson and Mail Carrier Doug. ※ Instead of Killing the US Postal System, Let’s Expand It
Reader P. says, “Apparently this is a real thing.” → Jean-Michel Basquiat Barbie ※ Keith Haring | Jean-Michel Basquiat: Crossing Lines virtual exhibit
I agree with Reader B. that some of these are really good! → A thread of user-made Penguin Classics covers. ※ The Penguin (or Oxford World) Classics Cover Generator.
Today in 2003, as an entry in its ongoing (since June 20, 1995!) Astronomy Picture of the Day series, NASA publishes a picture of NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula, which would come to be known as “The Eye of God.” Taken by the Hubble Telescope, the nearly 11,000-year-old nebula—also known as “The Eye of Sauron”—is approximately 700 light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. Contrary to the eye-like appearance from Earth, the nebula is believed to be cylindrical, our view being “down” the cylinder to the star at its center. Further imagery of the nebula revealed that it contains at least 10,000 comets swarming around, and often colliding with each other, inside it.
Awesome concert: ► It’s Little Richard. 1964 UK TV Show. (RIP).
Reader C.: “Am I the only one who finds Jukebox kind of mind-blowing? And the deep fakes? They implications of both of these are exciting and deeply, weirdly troubling.”
Reader M.: “I have spent a good amount of time the past few weeks editing and ‘correcting’ various poet friends’ use of Covid-19 (and other variations) and explaining why all caps makes sense for an acronym. After all, we do mostly write NASA and not Nasa, even though that acronym is pronounceable.”
Reader B.: “As a kid I used to take in a lot of Soviet space imaginations. My maternal grandparents were Russian and very pro-USSR. They often went to Sochi and back. Grandfather was a hardcore Stalinist. They liked to bring me magazines with space stuff.”
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