Here is my contribution to Catholic World Report's "The Best Books I Read in 2016." I wanted to keep it short, or else I would have added Graham Greene's Brighton Rock. You can find my thoughts on Brighton Rock in Quadrapheme.
My principal New Year's Resolution for 2017 is to continue recording all the books I finish. Among other things, this serves as a goad to make me persevere with a book that is less than compelling. Again I would like to raise the number of "real books" I read to 52.
In addition, I have resolved to do more housework more often, to reduce our amount of household waste, to study all the information regarding the Marian apparitions at Fatima one hundred years ago, to do a nightly examination of conscience, and to spend less time on the internet.
When I was studying theology, Marian spirituality was barely discussed. Certainly it is seen in some circles as a block to Christian Unity, although "mainstream" (if Anglicanism and the curious entity called the United Church of Canada can still be deemed mainstream) Protestantism has shown interest in Our Lady as a feminist heroine....
I could continue in this vein for quite awhile, but true to my resolution, I will save these thoughts for the Catholic Register. Suffice it to say that although (or because) I have a daughterly devotion to Our Lady, I don't subscribe to the Fatima Crusader.
Meanwhile, I have also resolved to become the best teacher of Ancient Greek I can be, which means I have been spending a lot of time listening to the following recording. I am half in love with the professor's old-fashioned Yankee accent:
Happy New Year, Mrs. McLean!
ReplyDeleteLong time reader only sometime rare comment writer here; very glad to see you are taking up teaching Ancient Greek, and that you have found Professor Daitz' recording! I have some fond memories of working with him on Homeric recitation many years ago; he was a kind man who would host small groups of young classicists in his home to practice and to give us feedback. Daitz certainly helped me appreciate the aural aspect of Greek in a new way.
Have you heard much about the Polis Institute of Jerusalem, led by Christophe Rico? They do a lot with spoken Ancient Greek (in their case, mostly Koine); you and your students may find some of their online material enjoyable and edifying. The Paideia Institute is also doing a lot of cool stuff with Greek and even spoken Greek. It's an exciting time to be studying Classical Languages! Godspeed to you and your students.
-The Romantic Hellenist
Thank you! And I am delighted you knew Professor Daitz because I love his sense of humour. I have not heard of the Polis Institute, but thank you very much for this direction! I want to do my best for my student, so I have agonized a lot over which pronunciation to teach them, but after all my fretting over traditional British customs, I have decided it is best to go with Daitz and Co.!
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