Interesting subject line, Eric. Just last week, I was in Toronto and
sat in the sun with a glass of wine across from a Mexican restaurant
called Tortilla Flats and wondered about the appropriation of the name.
Did the owner envision a connection with Steinbeck or had he merely
heard the words somewhere and liked them? How many of the restaurant's
customers, might we suppose, understand the reference? And does it
matter? Then I saw a place called Jeremiah and the Bullfrog. How
many passers-by recognize the allusion? Does it matter? Are these
allusions just a little gravy for those of us who see them? And how
many do we miss?
My students seem less and less to recognize Biblical or literary
allusions. Instead, they refer me to Homer Simpson. Yet, Homer,
surely an intentional allusion himself, refers constantly to that wider
world of art and literature. Is he educating his hearers? Or amusing
himself? Or does it matter. Maybe all that matters is that we have
common reference points -- words and images that communicate
archetypes. Like Elmer Gantry...
Ursula, musing instead of marking, in North Bay.
Eric wrote:
from mediabistro.com
Religious Broadcasters' Board Dumps Pat Robertson
Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson, criticized by some evangelicals for comments about Venezuela's president and Israel's prime minister, lost a bid for re-election to the National Religious Broadcasters' board of directors.
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