tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post1236147545390827690..comments2024-03-26T23:41:10.319+00:00Comments on Authors Electric: Thoughts on a new doc: N M BrowneKatherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-25998630022700401682016-10-30T16:02:10.379+00:002016-10-30T16:02:10.379+00:00Oddly enough, I remember in my student days at St ...Oddly enough, I remember in my student days at St Andrews Uni, the medical and BSc students all looked up to those of us doing MAs and the most revered were those doing philosophy. But that WAS the 1960s. Values have changed, clearly. Fran Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13497526684591168192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-14873157105351761512016-10-30T02:40:22.895+00:002016-10-30T02:40:22.895+00:00Yes, we should not be afraid of standing up for ou...Yes, we should not be afraid of standing up for our subjects. The ditching of Art History, Classics, Archeology and Creative Writing at A level are affronts to our civilisation. 'Parity of Esteem' was once a big player in Education. That it still hasn't come about is society's curse. Sandra, your neurosurgeon friend is not alone by any means. I was always surprised and cheered at university by the scientists who seemed almost in awe at the abilities of us 'Mickey Mouse' humanities students, especially as we were feeling exactly the opposite. Now, the Philistines of Matthew Arnold's Culture and Anarchy have at last taken over and I am devastated by the mentality which made such a decision.<br /><br />Many years ago I collaborated with a colleague on the writing of a book about teaching fiction in Middle Schools. In his first draft, my colleague said 'To write a novel is one of the highest and most significant achievements of humanity.' While we were still writing the book I had my first novel published. I noticed that in his second draft that sentence had disappeared. Was that when the rot set in?Dennis Hamleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15781139870037634374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-52892139456585060852016-10-29T15:54:42.277+01:002016-10-29T15:54:42.277+01:00Congratulations! Here's a story for you - mayb...Congratulations! Here's a story for you - maybe a sort of counterblast?<br />One of my friends is a distinguished retired neurosurgeon. We were at an illustrated talk by a composer who had completed an unfinished work by Vivaldi (I think) and he spoke so engagingly and excitedly about how he'd gone about it and the decisions he'd taken. When it was over, my neurosurgeon friend turned to me and said,'When I hear someone like him I feel that I have wasted my life.' I nearly fell over. He felt humbled. He thought that his own considerable skills were eclipsed by the creativity shown by the composer. Sandra Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01761260568729338471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-742734757482628072016-10-29T12:17:26.154+01:002016-10-29T12:17:26.154+01:00I'm also a great believer that academic achiev...I'm also a great believer that academic achievement is too highly valued in our society and people with practical skills demeaned.<br />That said - congratulations on the doctorate! They're hard to get and nowadays you can't get a uni appointment without them. And teaching creative writing in academia is one of the few ways writers can earn a living. <br />Lovely post!<br />Kathleen Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07645566938871914385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-88318632207148882342016-10-29T11:00:11.008+01:002016-10-29T11:00:11.008+01:00You are so right. I have always hated this attitud...You are so right. I have always hated this attitude that if you can analyse a Shakespearian speech or tot up a column of figures, then you're intelligent and worthy of respect.<br />But if you can 'only' figure out what's wrong with a car and fix it, or cut someone's hair perfectly, wire up a house or build a wall that'll keep the weather out for fifty years, then you're just a 'hand' and probably a bit dim and - let's be blunt - lower-class, even if you do sometimes earn as much as the professors and accountants.<br />Why can't we, as you say, except that Science and Art, mind-work and manual work are all equally valuable and necessary?<br />My cousin tells me that it is so in Switzerland: that accents count for nothing and a brick-layer or car mechanic is seen as the equal of the doctor. But I don't believe him.Susan Pricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738737493756183909noreply@blogger.com