Happy Birthday, Again

In 1945 Annie Dillard was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I was surprised to see she has now added some of her own artwork to her homepage, which she seems to maintain herself. I particularly like the one above.

Also, in 1888 John Crowe Ransom was born in Pulaski, Tennessee. For all his theoretical shortcomings, I still enjoy his criticism. He unabashedly believes in literature. As he says in one his most famous essays, "criticism is the attempt to define and enjoy the aesthetic or characteristic values of literature." In terms of recent criticism, there is much is to said for the notion of enjoyment.