I imagine it was a little easier in the past when you could be sure that all of the congregation had a pretty similar background. You know, I haven't given this enough consideration. I recognize it's something that you have hit on before in this thread. And Mad had once made a related point that th...

Ophelia wrote: ...but now I can see there is a lot more to it than I remembered.

Exactly the same for me, Ophelia. I appreciated this recent reading so much more than I did as a kid.

Penelope wrote: Now it is hurting.

I hope in a good way, yes?

So what you're saying is I need to stick with it to the bitter end? I didn't have a chance to get to anymore of it today, hopefully I'll have some time tonight or tomorrow. I anticipate the complexification you speak of.

Whoa, Constance, poorly worded question on my part, sorry for the confusion. And you don't need to apologize to me, I sometimes leave things hanging forever. I had intended to ask if the book Wicked was a parody of the movie The Wizard of Oz or the story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . I think I just a...

Well it's a gloomy Sunday for me. Not the weather. In fact, it looks gorgeous out and I'm about to shoot out the door right now. But, as far as my wishes go, the primaries last night weren't a pretty sight. I'm not surprised McCain beat Huckabee in South Carolina, but I was so hoping otherwise. And ...

They'll hear a sermon about turning the other cheek, then drive down the road intent on getting some driver back for some minor infraction. And my point really is, if the sermon were different, if it were better, would that happen? Oratory, at its best, should speak to exactly this point. Words hav...

Penelope, I was introduced to the "Lady of Shalott" by Anne (with an "E") Shirley. What a way to find Tennyson. But how dearly I loved those stories as a child. Still do, actually. And watch the movies. O.K. boys and girls we're less than two weeks away from the start of the offi...

And I can't say I agree with the argument that shifts responsibility from Dmitri Nabokov to any other group. Mad, are you speaking here to the suggestion raised in the article for a third alternative where Dmitri passes the manuscript to a trusted friend for decision after Dmitri's death? Or are yo...

I read Things Fall Apart too long ago to remember enough to contribute. But I'd definitely try to fit in a reread if it were made an official unofficial discussion.

At the outset, The Unbearable Lightness of Being has infuriated me