Houyhnhnm LandEarly Modern Thought for Rational Animals

(Lord's day). Up, and after being trimmed, alone by water to Erith, all the way with my song book singing of Mr. Lawes's long recitative song in the beginning of his book. Being come there, on board my Lord Bruncker, I find Captain Cocke and other company, the lady not well, and mighty merry we were; Sir Edmund Pooly being very merry, and a right English gentleman, and one of the discontented Cavaliers, that think their loyalty is not considered. After dinner, all on shore to my Lady Williams, and there drank and talked; but, Lord! the most impertinent bold woman with my Lord that ever I did see. I did give her an account again of my business with my Lord touching W. Howe, and she did give me some more information about it, and examination taken about it, and so we parted and I took boat, and to Woolwich, where we found my wife not well of them, and I out of humour begun to dislike her paynting, the last things not pleasing me so well as the former, but I blame myself for my being so little complaisant. So without eating or drinking, there being no wine (which vexed me too), we walked with a lanthorne to Greenwich and eat something at his house, and so home to bed.

Today's CoHE "First Person" features the melancholy musings of three assistant professors who have discovered that "being an assistant professor is a cool gig, at the end of the day it's only a gig."  Two complain about faded "glow" (perhaps they should invest in flashlights?) and one admits that he is "doing many of those things because I have to, not because I want to."   As they sigh in unison, the "rigors of the professoriate are beginning to weigh heavily."

If I understand this essay correctly, these three assistant professors have discovered that being a professor is...a job.  Which, like all other jobs currently existing on the face of the planet (and even jobs existing in the far future--after all, between episodes, Benjamin Sisko probably spent most of his time on DS9 filling out boring bureaucratic paperwork), primarily consists of obligations that aren't especially interesting, enjoyable, or fulfilling.  Amazingly, tenure does not make any of these obligations go away.  (My reward for tenure, besides a small raise, was more committee work.)  To describe the petty annoyances of day-to-day academic life as "the rigors of the professoriate" overdramatizes the nature of academic labor.  We aren't "above" all that sort of thing, purported ivory towers notwithstanding.  (Given the current state of the NYS budget, goodness knows of what my ivory tower will soon consist.)  Moreover, I wonder to whom "the professoriate" refers--many adjuncts, for example, would probably be delighted to have such rigors.   I don't object to the griping per se; after all, most people gripe about their jobs.  It's a universal hobby.  But perhaps a bit more self-reflexivity might have been in order, especially when many people are having a difficult time finding opportunities to "enjoy" the rigors in question?

About nine of the clock, I went on shore, there (calling by the way only to look upon my Lord Bruncker) to give Mrs. Williams an account of her matters, and so hired an ill-favoured horse, and away to Greenwich to my lodgings, where I hear how rude the souldiers have been in my absence, swearing what they would do with me, which troubled me, but, however, after eating a bit I to the office and there very late writing letters, and so home and to bed.

If you purchase a box of Girl Scout Cookies from the daughter of one of your colleagues, they contain no calories.  Girl Scout Cookies from all other sources do contain calories.

I admit that I went for one of the (relatively) more ascetic options: sugar-free chocolate chip.  Yeah, yeah, I know.  Not that I don't love Thin Mints and Tagalongs. 

(Ex-Girl Scout: made it to Cadets.  I think I've got my Brownie pin hanging around somewhere.) 

• Emma Donoghue, The Sealed Letter (Harcourt, 2008).  Feminist Emily Faithfull finds herself mixed up in a friend's affair.  (eBay)
• Jeff Rackham, The Rag and Bone Shop (Penguin, 2002).  Dickens' relationship with actress Ellen Ternan. (eBay)
• Heather Henderson, The Victorian Self: Autobiography and Biblical Narrative (Cornell, 1989).  How Biblical narratives shaped nineteenth-century self-representation.  (Amazon [secondhand])
• James Raven, ed., Free Print and Noncommercial Publishing Since 1700 (Ashgate, 2000).  Essays on the Religious Tract Society and similar organizations.  (Amazon [secondhand])
• Ann Taves, Fits, Trances, and Visions (Princeton, 1999).  Analyzes competing narratives of what religious experience is and how it should be discussed.  (Basilea Books)
• Stephen D. O'Leary, Arguing the Apocalypse: A Theory of Millennial Rhetoric (Oxford, 1998).  Constructs a theory of apocalyptic rhetoric by drawing on everything from the Bible to contemporary fundamentalism.  (Amazon [secondhand])

[Continued from yesterday. P.G.] Sailed all night, and got down to Quinbrough water, where all the great ships are now come, and there on board my Lord, and was soon received with great content. And after some little discourse, he and I on board Sir W. Pen; and there held a council of Warr about many wants of the fleete, but chiefly how to get slopps and victuals for the fleete now going out to convoy our Hambro' ships, that have been so long detained for four or five months for want of convoy, which we did accommodate one way or other, and so, after much chatt, Sir W. Pen did give us a very good and neat dinner, and better, I think, than ever I did see at his owne house at home in my life, and so was the other I eat with him. After dinner much talke, and about other things, he and I about his money for his prize goods, wherein I did give him a cool answer, but so as we did not disagree in words much, and so let that fall, and so followed my Lord Sandwich, who was gone a little before me on board the Royall James. And there spent an houre, my Lord playing upon the gittarr, which he now commends above all musique in the world, because it is base enough for a single voice, and is so portable and manageable without much trouble. That being done, I got my Lord to be alone, and so I fell to acquaint him with W. Howe's business, which he had before heard a little of from Captain Cocke, but made no great matter of it, but now he do, and resolves nothing less than to lay him by the heels, and seize on all he hath, saying that for this yeare or two he hath observed him so proud and conceited he could not endure him. But though I was not at all displeased with it, yet I prayed him to forbear doing anything therein till he heard from me again about it, and I had made more enquiry into the truth of it, which he agreed to. Then we fell to publique discourse, wherein was principally this: he cleared it to me beyond all doubt that Coventry is his enemy, and has been long so. So that I am over that, and my Lord told it me upon my proposal of a friendship between them, which he says is impossible, and methinks that my Lord's displeasure about the report in print of the first fight was not of his making, but I perceive my Lord cannot forget it, nor the other think he can. I shewed him how advisable it were upon almost any terms for him to get quite off the sea employment. He answers me again that he agrees to it, but thinks the King will not let him go off: He tells me he lacks now my Lord Orrery to solicit it for him, who is very great with the King. As an infinite secret, my Lord tells me, the factions are high between the King and the Duke, and all the Court are in an uproare with their loose amours; the Duke of Yorke being in love desperately with Mrs. Stewart. Nay, that the Duchesse herself is fallen in love with her new Master of the Horse, one Harry Sidney, and another, Harry Savill. So that God knows what will be the end of it. And that the Duke is not so obsequious as he used to be, but very high of late; and would be glad to be in the head of an army as Generall; and that it is said that he do propose to go and command under the King of Spayne, in Flanders. That his amours to Mrs. Stewart are told the King. So that all is like to be nought among them. That he knows that the Duke of Yorke do give leave to have him spoken slightly of in his owne hearing, and doth not oppose it, and told me from what time he hath observed this to begin. So that upon the whole my Lord do concur to wish with all his heart that he could with any honour get from off the imployment. After he had given thanks to me for my kind visit and good counsel, on which he seems to set much by, I left him, and so away to my Bezan againe, and there to read in a pretty French book, "La Nouvelle Allegorique," upon the strife between rhetorique and its enemies, very pleasant. So, after supper, to sleepe, and sayled all night, and came to Erith before break of day.