The Weekend Special

Pieces are given up to three Ellises (for fiction), McClellands (for essays), or Whitakers (for random picks). As with restaurant stars, even one Ellis, McClelland, or Whitaker indicates a generally positive review.

⏰ Fiction

“Deal-Breaker” by Allegra Goodman. One Ellis. good, going, goyische. Lightweight; Goodman says writing this “was easy”, and it shows, springing forth without much fuss (if, perhaps, without much import.) There is one really funny metatextual joke – everyone gets introduced in a parade of first names, then we hear that Pam’s mother Helen finds this habit “irritating” – but it’s defused early, and from then this is a straightforward tale of an adult relationship with a straightforward road bump: The man is too invested in the lives of his ex-wife and child to devote himself fully to his partner; his sympathies are with her, but not his loyalties. The story is really mostly about Pam’s parents’ reactions to the relationship; they aren’t exactly novel characters, as they basically resemble the stock image of Silent Generation Jewish parents, but their banter is enjoyable to read and doesn’t strain credulity; their joy at the prospect of a Jewish-ish grandkid could easily feel like an authorial contrivance, but Goodman leads up to it in just the right way. In the context of Goodman’s new book, a collection of stories all about this family, there may be accumulated depths; on its own, this feels a bit incidental… but it’s hard not to like.

⏰ Weekend Essay

“Joan Lowell and the Birth of the Modern Literary Fraud” by Michael Waters. One McClelland. A very fun slice of pop history. If Waters makes too much of it as the first of something (perhaps it is, in its specifics, but only by coincidence; nobody looked to Lowell for scam inspiration), that’s forgivable enough; it can be frustrating that every popular history must have much the same hook – this story “feels distinctly contemporary”! – even when the assumed import of the hook (it feels contemporary because it was influential or at least ahead of its time) doesn’t at all apply. Lowell’s story is distinctly of its time – it’s such a 1920s story one expects a novelty single and accompanying dance. Otherwise, this is fun; the story is not that exceptional, but Waters finds its most interesting moments, honing in especially on a confrontation in which Lowell’s publishers come to her defense. Lowell’s later, more flailing attempts at scammery and notoriety are similarly bizarre – Leo Tolstoy’s grandson makes an appearance, along with a possibly fantastical alligator – but an unsuccessful con artist doesn’t possess the same fascination. You can’t set sail in the same river twice.

⏰ Random Pick

“Listen and Learn” (American Chronicles) by Nathan Heller. (July 9 & 16, 2012). No Whitakers. specialize, speak, speed. TED talks are such a weird, now largely irrelevant remnant of Obama-era techno-positive dumbassery. Heller’s piece tries to have it both ways, poking at their glib and predictable wishful thinking, even correctly pointing out that their thin veneer of intellectualism disguises a disdain for actual scholarship, but ultimately acting as a trip to the magic factory. As such, it’s (ironically) overlong and (predictably) samey, and there are few to no clues as to the ultimate sources of decline of the TED project, which, on paper, looks self-sustaining – and came to video before many others pivoted. One can point to many things – ideological narrowness, brand dilution through TEDX, generational revulsion toward speech that feels prepared – but, despite what TED wants you to believe, there are few easy answers.

🥐 Something Extra

Loved the Sixties Surreal show up at the Whitney. (Up through the 19th.) Don’t understand at all why every single review just talks about what sorts of things they think it’s missing; it’s one floor, people! Seems like critics with conservative taste¹ are upset that it’s not more strictly surreal while critics with liberal taste are upset that it’s not more wide-ranging². I thought it found an extremely happy medium.

Even better is the re-installation of the permanent collection, which they’re calling “‘Untitled’ (America)” – it’s a stunning and thoughtful arrangement, full of great art but with much more space and air than the previous setup. The “Shifting Landscapes” show (up through the 25th) struck me as sort of bizarre – is the resistance to internal cohesion meant as a political act? – but was excellent taken room by room. And the little third-floor show of Ken Ohara’s “Contacts” project is superb, too.

Sunday Song Album: