10/17: happy ending

Our monthly faculty meeting didn't last long this evening, which meant that when I got home there was still time to do some preparation for tomorrow's classes.  So I finished reading Daphnis and Chloe, and what a delight it has been!  I'll look forward to hearing what the students have to say about it tomorrow.  In the meanwhile, I'm grateful to be able to close my work-day with a novel that has a happy ending.  Happily-ever-after is not the norm in most of the Classical literature I teach; I appreciate this pastoral reprieve from epic and tragedy.

2 comments:

Sandy Longhorn said...

What I wouldn't give for a "pastoral reprieve from epic and tragedy" most days, and I don't even teach the classics! Just feeling like the world is tipping more toward epic tragedy than pastoral comedy (comedy as in happily-ever-after, not haha).

:)

RR said...

Yes indeed, the world feels out of balance. Pastoral is a welcome reminder that at least one can write serious literature and think philosophical thoughts without having everything necessarily and always veering toward the tragic.