6/23: a wonder(ful) book

In preparation for my final paper-writing push I re-read Hawthorne's Wonder Book today. It is simply fantastic. It made me laugh and cry. I was realizing yesterday that so much of the Hawthorne scholarship and children's literature scholarship that I've read this month is joyless. I've found that strange (and discouraging), since I don't know why one would write about Hawthorne or children's literature unless one were passionate about the topic. So I was especially grateful to return to the source and find such joy and beauty (and wit and warmth and sweetness) there.