The Core Blog

Questions for session 3

ecr2102 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:43:14 -0500

(1) Nietzsche is much more pessimistic than his predecessors about the threat mass society, including democratic politics, poses to individual distinction. Is he right?

(2) What is his alternative solution for advancement of individuality? Is it persuasive?

Questions for session 2

ecr2102 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:40:42 -0400

Below are the questions for session 2. Feel free to discuss them before and after class in the comments section

(1) Mill associates individuality with our inborn potential for natural genius, while Tocqueville at times associates it with aristocratic distinction. Where does individuality "come from," in your view?

(2) Mill cites Tocqueville's idea of the "tyranny of the majority." Do you think Tocqueville portrays it any differently in his book?

Questions for session 1

ecr2102 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:02:19 -0400

Here are some questions to ponder and discuss before and after the first mini course class on Wednesday. Feel free to use the comments section below to discuss. If you have longer comments, please e-mail Ethan Rouen at ecr2102@columbia.edu and he will create a seperate post on the blog. Enjoy.

1. What does Constant think the difference is between freedom in the ancient world and freedom in the modern world? Do you think he is right?

Professor Moyn Weighing In

ecr2102 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:35:36 -0400

Hi everyone — in the alumni Core class and beyond! I am really looking forward to these sessions, and I hope the blog can provide a forum to start the discussion before meeting and for continuing it in between.

Follow Along with the Mini Course for Alumni!

ecr2102 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:24:13 -0400

Coming soon, Samuel Moyn, professor of history, will be posting questions and contributing to the discussion as we join him for his mini course, a three-class lecture discussing "Individuality and Society." The course begins on October 21 and will discuss Constant's "The Liberty of the Ancients Compared with that of the Moderns;" J.S.

Keep on Digging

ecr2102 — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:05:19 -0400

Darcy continues digging his grave in a letter to Elizabeth explaining why Jane shouldn't be so heartbroken and why it would have been stupid for Bingley to marry her. It wasn't the apology letter I was expecting.
He also includes in the letter a thrashing of Wickham, who, he claims, received Darcy's father's money and holds a grudge only because he tried to marry Darcy's sister in hopes of scamming her out of her fortune. Nothing like men scorned, huh?

Drama

ecr2102 — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:15:08 -0400

Despite all the criticism Elizabeth receives, she sure gets a lot of suitors.
Darcy visits and eventually can't contain his love for her. He bursts out with a marriage proposal, admitting his concern over her social standing, and Elizabeth rightly kicks him to the curb.
Not only is he a complete snob who previously rejected her and focuses so much on money and standing at the cost of love and romance, he also admitted to convincing Bingley not to marry Jane.

Poor Elizabeth

ecr2102 — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:43:57 -0400

Elizabeth's wish to see Darcy marrying someone "sickly and cross," like Lady de Bourgh's daughter, belies her confident exterior.
Making matters worse, when Elizabeth comes to Collins' parish, he and Charlotte treat her well, but Lady de Bourgh lays into her, deciding that she and her sisters were poorly raised. They needed a governess. In addition, some musical or artistic talents - something to entertain the men they should have been reared to serve - would have put them in a better position.

That Was Fast

ecr2102 — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:44:56 -0400

Bingley is off to London, leaving Jane hurt, but not dejected. Despite Miss Bingley's best attempts to keep her away, Jane heads to London with the Gardiners.
Collins and Charlotte are getting ready to be married, and Elizabeth is only slightly hurt when Wickham (I knew it!) starts paying attention to a more wealthy girl.
In these short chapters of Book II, we see the value money has in marriage. It makes one wonder how anyone can end up happily married when feelings take a backseat to standing.

Not Looking Good

ecr2102 — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:40:03 -0400

The end of the first volume leaves little in the way of marriage prospects for the Bennet girls. Collins is off to marry Charlotte Lucas, and Jane has heard nothing from Bingley. Crazy Mrs. Bennet is very stressed about what will happen when her husband dies.
The concern over marriage is all very silly, and it seems like the most foolish decision yet in the book is the one between Collins and his fiancé. I feel sorry for all of these characters and their obsessions, but I feel worst for Elizabeth, who seems above it all, yet keeps getting dragged down into the muck.