Wallace Stegner’s (1909-1993) masterpiece Angle of Repose (1971; Pulitzer 1972) explores the marriage relationships of Susan and Oliver Ward and Lyman and Ellen Ward and the free-love relationship of Shelly Rasmussen and Larry. Lyman, a retired historian, writes a history of his grandparents’ lives after his wife leaves him for his surgeon during his struggle... Continue Reading →
There’s a reason why I’d rather read a book than look at a fashion magazine. In case you didn’t know, the women in fashion magazines aren’t real. I know. Newsflash! I cannot compete with that sort of fake, outward beauty so I’ve stopped trying. I still shower, curl my hair, and wear makeup (and I... Continue Reading →
I once gave a presentation in an undergraduate grammar and usage course about the correct usage of “between you and me.” Saying “between you and I” is incorrect. On my handout, I included several quotes that demonstrated this usage, and I had included quotes from both Mark Twain and Samuel Clemens. Of course, I knew... Continue Reading →
I’m not a big fan of Henry James (1843-1916), pictured below. I’ve dutifully read him for class assignments, but never for pleasure until last fall. My favorite professor, whom I still see often because we teach at the same university, recommended that I read James’s The Portrait of a Lady (1881). He was reading it... Continue Reading →
My middle name is Antonia. It comes from my great grandmother, Antonia Montosa Juanes, who was born in Hawaii to immigrants from Spain. She married Felix Juanes, from Spain, and had eight children, one of whom is my grandmother, Eulalia. From these fantastic people, I got my beautiful middle name and I also got to... Continue Reading →
I first read Theodore Dreiser’s masterpiece An American Tragedy (1925) during the summer of 2003. Little did I know that the story unfolding before me in that book would also play out on my television set. It was as if Dreiser had gone to the future, observed what Scott Peterson did to his wife Laci... Continue Reading →
