My Shirley Jackson obsession is well-documented here at O.C.. So imagine my delight when Blog of a Bookslut referred me to The Strange World of Stanley Edgar Hyman and Shirley Jackson in the Wall Street Journal. Be sure to read the comments.
Though I have been to Bennington, Vermont a number of times in years past, and one of my sisters lived there for a little while, I cannot lay any claim to knowledge of Bennington College. To Vermonters of my tribe and era, Bennington College was...another world. Out of state. Beyond our grasp and understanding. We could not imagine the wealth or fathom the intellect.
If Shirley Jackson had not been connected with it, I would barely have known Bennington College existed. Because she was, I've paid attention to anything I've read about the place. For her sake.
Coincidently, today I had lunch with my mother-in-law who was a faculty wife during the same period (and beyond) as Jackson, though at much techier colleges. How did those women maintain their sanity?
4 comments:
Oh, SNAP. Those were some awesome comments. Take that Joyce and the next time you mock people make sure they don't have anyone left alive to defend them.
My bad. Joan, not Joyce.
Thank you so much for the link! It made my day.
Whether accurate or not, I thought that in many ways the essay portrayed a stereotypical movie/novel version of a sixties-era academic couple at a small, swanky college. It was the heartfelt comments that made this compelling reading.
Hmmm. The hardcopy edition of the WSJ with this article is probably still floating around and, of course, has none of the comments.
Post a Comment