Various & Sundry Quote Notes

The HeadGirl’s Spring Break ends tomorrow. Her one consolation is that there are only 7 weeks until Summer Break begins. Today, as she flew about gathering together notebooks and pencils and other necessary but small items, she said: “Spring Break causes me to lead such a degenerate lifestyle, and then I can’t find any of my belongings.” Pipsqueak, being in the same room, asked (with sweet curtiousity), “How is this different from your other lifestyle?”

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Alright, I’m done talking in the third person. I am not talented enough to maintain it for lengthy periods of time (if I can do it at all, which is a subject of great doubt).

I began reading Brideshead Revisited on Saturday. I’m almost 1/3 of the way through it, which is encouraging, given the fact that I’ve given myself a deadline for finishing it. I don’t know anything about the story, but so far I’m liking this book very much indeed. I bought my own paperback copy at a recent library booksale and have already marked it up quite a bit so that I can easily find the passages I wish to remember. I’ve decided to share two here.

“Is it good art?”
“Well, I don’t quite know what you mean,” I said warily. “I think it’s a remarkable example of its period. Probably in eighty years it will be greatly admired.”
“But surely it can’t be good twenty years ago and good in eighty years, and not good now?”
“Well, it may be good now. All I mean is that I don’t happen to like it much.”
“But is there a difference between liking a thing and thinking it good?”
It is here, at this crucial question, that Waugh adds to the friendly tension by having someone else interrupt the conversation. The idea behind this seems quite forceful (at least, to a first time reader): The answer to this question is important, but you’ll have to keep reading if you want it because you’re not going to get it now.

Another interesting passage:
“Does your family always talk about religion all the time?”
“Not all the time. It’s a subject that just comes up naturally, doesn’t it?”
“Does it? It never has with me before.”
“Then perhaps you are an agnostic. I’ll pray for you.”

Although the HeadGirl does not share Cordelia’s Catholicism (Cordelia being the praying one in this conversation), she does believe that religion should be a subject that “just comes up naturally.” If it is really ingrained in our existence, then it shouldn’t just be something special set aside for Sunday dinner conversation, or ignored entirely, but should be an integral part of our day to day existence.

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On a minor celebratory note, I have finished reading Hidden Art of Homemaking. One previously unread Ambleside Online book read, many more to go.