i really have to sit down and read tasso and camoens this summer. had to skip and skim this semester, but as i write my paper (unsteadily, because i hate not knowing what i'm doing. i have to look up everything, and i haven't got time. people seem to be able to pick a topic and do the research around it, but i need to research whatever i can before i can pick a topic. this is probably the cause of my undoing.)

i am really very much enamoured of them both and they deserve proper reading. (now why not them for bookclub?) i wish they would put things like that on the list instead of some more dryden or wordsworth or whatever. and i wish i knew more about navigation and exploration. i had dinner with a singaporean who had gone to beida and i really admire the way they have real knowledge, what i'd call xue wen. i need to be able to talk confidently about my subject like that. before one can be clever one needs the real, raw, knowledge.