One

Since everybody seems to be into the wordle thing, here's a 300 word wordle of Moby Dick:

Avast ye!

I'm curious why "One" is so prevalent in Moby Dick. I mean, you expect "ye" and "thee" and even "Starbuck" but "One?" Note how small "God" is. Kind of tells you something about the tale of Ahab, eh?

You Asked for it: Dostoevsky!

Dostoevsky
Originally uploaded by huxleyesque

Good choice*, readers. While I think Underground Man (or Notes from the Underground) is probably the most essential reading of Dostoevsky, I think The Possessed is probably my favorite work of his. I spent many a dark winter night pouring through the text while writing one of the best papers I wrote in college on that book. I'm hesitant to dig into my box of juvenilia (which I retrieved some time ago from my mother's basement) to see if it is as good as I remember.

Somehow, I think my recollection glorifies and distorts my perception, making my existence a cruel joke. My lack of authenticity astounds.

See, I have read a lot of Dostoevsky.

*I voted for Tolstoy, by the way.