Monthly Archives: August 2019

“Reach Out from Within”

Posted on August 31, 2019 by JMN

Karen Rosenberg writes that this exhibition of Helen Frankenthaler’s work at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, NY, “presents Provincetown [Massachusetts] as more of a psychic space, one of negotiation and self-discovery, with new family responsibilities but not too … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology, Commentary | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The People’s Receiver

Posted on August 31, 2019 by JMN

Bret Stephens has commented on how the relatively new technology of radio was received enthusiastically in 1930s Germany. Effort was made to produce and distribute a cheap radio — the Volksempfänger, or people’s receiver — “that could bring the Führer’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Few, the Proud, the Readers

Posted on August 31, 2019 by JMN

“If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren’t broad enough to sustain you.” (Marine General Jim Mattis, from his new book “Call Sign Chaos,” written with … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Rees-Mogging the Confecters

Posted on August 30, 2019 by JMN

“The candyfloss of outrage that we’ve had over the past 24 hours — which is almost entirely confected — is from people who never wanted to leave the European Union,” Mr. Rees-Mogg said in an interview with BBC radio. (Stephen … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , | 1 Comment

“Mornington Crescent!”

Posted on August 30, 2019 by JMN

I learn from Martha Gill that there’s a long-running game on British radio whose object is to be the first to reach the “Mornington Crescent” tube station on the northern line. Players cite routes over London’s transport system knowing and … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The World We Mustn’t Live In

Posted on August 29, 2019 by JMN

Two thoughts slam me at once. They can’t be correlated, but mustn’t they? The first thought is that we live in a tired, busy world; a world of busy tiredness; a world of tired busyness. Such is our world: tired … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Feminine He Ain’t

Posted on August 28, 2019 by JMN

This article describes Richard Serra as “the best-known living sculptor in America.” His medium is steel, in which he enshrines “abstract forms as maximalist feats of mass and scale.” At the Museum of Modern Art… a room-sized assembly of eight, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Retire “Toxic.” “Hegemonic” is Here

Posted on August 28, 2019 by JMN

Scholars call it “hegemonic masculinity,” a fancy phrase defining the traditional male ideal as being stoic, tough and aggressive. The body is an instrument of violence in this rationalization…The football helmet… is not just a form of protection but… a … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Duking It Out With Regret

Posted on August 25, 2019 by JMN

“I have said previously that it was a mistake and an error to see him after his release… I can only reiterate my regret… I was mistaken to think that what I thought I knew of him was evidently not … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Please God, Net It Out!

Posted on August 23, 2019 by JMN

I’ve read “Ulysses,” “War and Peace,” some of Henry James and most of Faulkner — but not recently. I’m aware I’ve just bragged, and I’m ashamed of it in a manner of speaking. These four writers aren’t known for netting … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , | 2 Comments