Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Some Links and Some Musings

A couple of links:

  • When technology and literature collide. Using Victor Hugo's Les Miserable to explain a proposed EU software patent law. Whatdaya know! Book larnin' is good fer sumpin' after all!
  • Recommended reading for you summer holiday. As if I didn't have enough to read already, now I had to go and add some more to the list.
There is an interesting discussion going on over at MobyLives. The guest column by Elizabeth Clementson is about why MFA programs as useless. Her column has sparked a number of letters arguing for and against. I have an MA in literature (such a useful thing--ha!) and from time to time flirt with the idea of getting an MFA. I like the idea of teaching and being able to dedicate a period of time to working on improving my writing. However, I vacillate between both sides of the debate, never able to land firmly on one choice or the other. I am a very practical person, sometimes too much so, which means that I do not want take any risks if it is likely to waste my time or my money (but there's no way of knowing if it will be a waste of time or money until the other side is reached). I'm not a 22 year old without obligations. I've got a mortgage payment and other things to worry about. Besides, what are the chances of actually landing a teaching gig after graduation? And now you see why I am stuck.