Great Books Discussion Groups

Have you ever been to a Great Books Discussion Group meeting? I have. Once upon a time, as a punishment for my past, present, and future sins, I was talked into attending such a meeting. Believe me, it was one of the most appalling experiences of my life. It was composed of a gaggle of persons who were without any particular creative spark or literary understanding, but who were very, very serious about Literature. As I recall, they were engaged in a mechanistic decomposition of an e. e. cummings poem. I could go on at length describing the kinds of people that were there and the kinds of things that were said and done. I hope you will forgive me if I don’t. I find the whole thing traumatic, even in retrospect.