Coming in from the Cold — As I made the frigid walk from the East Parking Deck to the Fretwell Building on this first day of the Spring 2017 semester, a phrase popped into my head the moment I felt the welcomed warmth of the building. “Aah,” I said to myself, “the professor who came in from the cold.” Then I started wondering where the phrase came from, and I remembered a spy novel that I read in college titled The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré.
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold came out in 1963, and the Cold War tensions are integral to the novel. Spying, espionage, and subversive interventions in the political processes of nations all figure in this famous novel. I remember being caught up in the fast-paced plot of the book, but what stuck with me was the way in which the novel addresses moral questions and concerns. Lying is so central to the central character’s life that he hardly knows the difference between lying and telling the truth. Needless to say, there is a lot about The Spy Who Came in from the Cold that relates to our current situation besides the cold temperatures.
Kudos — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of our department. Here is the latest news:
Juan Meneses presented a paper titled “Postcolonial Misrecognition in Jean Rhys’sVoyage in the Dark” at the MLA conference, which took place last week in Philadelphia.
Sarah Minslow published a chapter titled “Helping Children Understand Atrocities: Developing and Implementing an Undergraduate Course Titled ‘War and Genocide in Children’s Literature'” in a the volume Understanding Atrocities: Remembering, Representing, and Teaching Genocide. The book was published Calgary University Press.
Jen Munroe presented a paper titled “Premodern Kitchen Ecologies: ‘Sustainable Becoming'” at the MLA conference in Philadelphia last week.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here is information about an upcoming events and deadlines.
January 16 — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day–University closed.
January 16 — The last day to add/drop with no grade.
January 27 — The English Department meeting will take place on January 27, 2017, from 11:00-12:30 in the English Department Conference Room.
Quirky Quiz Question — John le Carré, Roald Dahl, and Ian Fleming are all British writers who also worked as spies. Listed below are three books written by one of these authors. See if you can identify the author of each book:
The Spy Who Loved Me
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Going Solo
Last week’s answer: Larry Mellichamp
Jeffrey Gillman is the current Director of the Botanical Gardens. Does anybody remember who served as the Director of the Botanical Gardens before Jeffrey?