Quickly Commonplacing #2

Revisiting a high school read, yeast in advertising, and the best Austen hero

It has been a delightful, and busy, time here at the Boratenski household. On Sunday, our Elinor Josephine was baptized. We were blessed to have so many family members and friends attend (including all of the cousins on my husband’s side of the family). It was very joyful, very holy, and very very loud (11 kids total, 10 of which were under 5). As is fitting for the start of the school year, this reunion ended in sickness for almost all of the aforementioned children. As a result, I’m still working on my next long-form post, which I am very excited about (it will feature Anne of Green Gables, Charles Peguy, and G.K. Chesterton). In the meantime, here is another edition of Quickly Commonplacing!

Current Reads:

1. Reread: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

   1. I first read this book in high school as part of an AP Lit literary criticism paper on an American author. I chose Edith Wharton and read The House of Mirth, The Age of Innocence, and The Custom of the Country. It’s amazing how the passage of time can affect your view of a novel. As a high schooler, I found Newland Archer to be a very sympathetic character. I think that’s because, as a teenager, it’s a lot easier to relate to Newland’s frustration with societal conventions and his overall emotional turmoil. As an adult, I mostly wanted him to shake him. Both Ellen Olenska and May Welland earned far more of my sympathy this time around. Ellen, for her (imperfect) attempts to keep Newland at a distance so as not to violate the trust of others, and May for the (admittedly underhanded) action she took to keep her marriage and family intact. Finally, I truly enjoyed Wharton’s command of the English language. Her wit is keen and she doesn’t waste a single word. For the writing alone The Age of Innocence is a worthwhile read.

2. New Read: Walking on Water by Madeline L’Engle

   1. I am reading this with

      Reading Revisited
      and am already underlining soooooo many passages in it. My hand will be cramping when it comes time to commonplace this book. Madeline L’Engle’s reflections on what it means to be a Christian artist are absolutely fascinating. As a mother, I am especially intrigued by the way in which she connects creativity to childlike humility and wonder. It’s easy for me to focus on what I need to teach my kids, but L’Engle reminds me that there is much I can learn from them.

Recent Commonplace Quotes:

1. “Of course there is some truth in advertising. There’s yeast in bread, but you can’t make bread with yeast alone. Truth in advertising…is like leaven, which a woman hid in three measures of meal. It provides a suitable quantity of gas, with which to blow out a mass of crude misrepresentation into a form that the public can swallow.” (Murder Must Advertise, by Dorothy Sayers)

   1. I discussed Dorothy Sayers’ work at an ad firm in my last post. She absolutely skewers the profession in this insightful (and hilarious) quote. It’s a good reminder that we should be on guard against the ways in which we are manipulated by our consumer culture, and that we must do our due diligence when choosing what businesses to patronize.

2. “‘Meg, I give you your faults.’

   ‘My faults!’ Meg cried.

   ‘Your faults.’

   ‘But I'm always trying to get rid of my faults!’

   "Yes," Mrs. Whatsit said. "However, I think you'll find they'll come in very handy on Camazotz.’” (A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle)

   1. I found myself thinking about this quote again and again this past week. When Meg Murry must confront evil (embodied by a grotesque brain known as IT) on the planet of Camazotz, the angelic figure of Mrs. Whatsit asserts that it is Meg’s faults that will save her. Despite her initial dismay, Meg discovers that her anger and stubbornness allow her to resist the pressure of IT to submit to its (heh) control, while her love for her brother Charles Wallace is what wins the ultimate victory. The lives of the saints prove that grace has the ability to transform our “faults” and marshal them to serve God’s kingdom. Paul’s zealous hatred of Christians becomes a zealous desire to preach the gospel. Therese of Lisieux’s anxiety allows her to develop a childlike trust in God’s love. Nothing is wasted by God when we submit all of ourselves to his will.

Excellent Earworms:

1. Music: Highland Girl (Nathan Evans, I have been humming this nonstop since I discovered it) and Friend Like You (Joshua Radin)

2. Podcasts:

   1. The Great Books Podcast is an excellent way to learn about great books, across a variety of genres, times, and cultures. I’ve added several books to my shelf thanks to them, including books I would never have heard of otherwise. Lost Horizon is my favorite discovery thus far.

Substack Shares:

1. I really enjoyed this comparison of two wildly different novels. Books are always in conversation with each other, and this was such a great example of how paying attention to this conversation can enrich our reading. Also Diary of a Country Priest is one of the best Catholic novels ever written.

Seeking a Good Life through Great Books: "Moon Tiger" and "The Diary of a Country Priest"

2. Miller’s Book Review is a publication I can consistently rely on for thoughtful and entertaining literary discussion. This recent piece was one that gave me a lot of hope, and reminded me that I need to pick up the Bonhoeffer book that’s been gathering dust on my ‘to read’ shelf.

Unpredictable Futures: Bonhoeffer and Bots

3. I have yet to read any of Sappho’s poetry, but now I really really want to.

In defense of Sappho

Polling the People:

Last week I asked which Austen hero was the best, and Mr. Knightley ran away with the prize, taking nearly 50% of the vote. I approve of this result because Mr. Knightley reminds me of my husband in many ways. Mr. Darcy was next at 29%, and Colonel Brandon and Mr. Tilney each took 12%. Alas, for poor Captain Wentworth (0%).

This week, in honor of the start of the school year, I ask about what writing implements and annotation. In addition to what you use to write in your books, I’d love to learn more about what markup systems/habits you have. Don’t markup your books? Tell me why!

Finally, I am (with a great deal of anxiety) putting myself out there by creating a ‘Buy Me A Coffee’ page. I would love to turn on subscriptions someday (and have lots of ideas of what subscribers would get) but I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep, especially when it comes to people’s hard-earned money. However, my writing takes both time and effort, and any parent knows how hard it can be to find either of those on a regular basis. So, if you enjoyed my writing, and want to feed my childhood dream of becoming a paid author, please click the button button below. Any and all contributions will be greatly appreciated and probably make me cry (in a good way).