Sinclair Lewis may be ripe for a revival; his books raise several interesting issues of art and fashion.
I learned why ‘out riding alone’ is an oxymoron: An equestrian is never alone, is always sensing the other being, the mysterious but also understandable living being that is the horse.
I readily admit it is easy to make of horses what we will. Silent, in some ways reserved, they allow us to train them, and to project our ideas upon them; to ride and drive them, and to make them symbolic, perhaps to a greater degree than any other species.
Is human nature basically good or evil? No economist can embark upon his profession without considering this question, and yet they all seem to. And they all seem to think human nature is basically good, or they wouldn’t be surprised by the effects of deregulation.
Combined families often get bad reviews, but the family my children got when they traded away ‘the suffocating four-person’ nuclear one is one that has benefited all of them.
Gossip. The more you talk about why people do things, the more ideas you have about how the world works.
Eavesdrop and write it down from memory – gives you a stronger sense of how people talk and what their concerns are. I love to eavesdrop!
I discovered that the horse is life itself, a metaphor but also an example of life’s mystery and unpredictability, of life’s generosity and beauty, a worthy object of repeated and ever changing contemplation.
English majors understand human nature better than economists do.
There is a sociology of horses, as well as a psychology. It is most evident in the world of horse racing, where many horses are gathered together, where year after year, decade after decade, they do the same, rather simple thing – run in races and try to win.
Another thing I learned is that novels, even those from apparently distant times and places, remain current and enlightening, and also comforting.
Oh, that sound? I’m in the hot tub, reading a novel.
There are several methods for introducing your children to driving, and all of them are bad. Probably the worst is to put it off.
All equestrians, if they last long enough, learn that riding in whatever form is a lifelong sport and art, an endeavor that is both familiar and new every time you take the horse out of his stall or pasture.
Somehow, knowing that Alzheimer’s is coming mocks all one’s aspirations – to tell stories, to think through certain issues as only a novel can do, to be recognised for one’s accomplishments and hard work – in a way that old familiar death does not.
A theory of creativity is actually just a metaphor. A pool of ideas, a well of memories, a voice.
An urban novelist never minds a little decay.
Before I write a novel, images float around in my head that work like icons – they are meaningless in themselves, but serve as reminders.
A love story, at least a convincing one, requires three elements – the lover, the beloved, and the adventures they have together.
In my experience, there is only one motivation, and that is desire. No reasons or principle contain it or stand against it.