Sophistication

      Reading-- gleefully, I might add-- this piece, I'm reminded of Northrop Frye's famous claim that all literary theory that couldn't be taught at the kindergarten level was useless. No wonder the academy's awash in so much theoretical circle-jerking. Key quote: "Given their vulnerability to the bad writing charge, the theorists would profit from a dose of humility or, even better, humor." Indeed, though the minions of Sophistopheles couldn't find either humility or humour with Tenzing Norgay, Rand McNally and a giant, red neon sign that pointed to those qualities and flashed "Humility and Humour, Right Here, Get Them While They're Hot!" Check out the award-winning quote at the end of the article. It's a doozy.