Strauss, the last of France, Borges

I read the three essays by Leo Strauss published under the title City and Man. I can't say I thought that much of it, it is perfectly fine but doesn't seem to say much that is new. On the other hand these were published lectures rather than a monograph.

I am also midway through my last volume by Anatole France. Some of the novels were obviously serialized, and some of the writing bears the mark of someone who had to earn a living that way. But he is witty -- viz. in La revolte des anges that bourgeois mother who says virginity was fine when girls were married at puberty, but surely no one expects it of a 25-year-old? This was worthy of Oscar Wilde. He is also adept at satirizing society through fantasy, as he does with Ile des pingouins. The biggest surprise was his unabashed Catholicism, not in evidence generally, but showed through in his book on Joan of Arc. Who knew?

I also read a couple of books by Borges as I am reading his complete works. Universal History of Infamy is one strange idea for a book, an unconnected litany of horrible things done across time and space. Possibly the next book, Universal History of Eternity will be a bit more uplifting.

I also read Le Monde Diplomatique's quarterly, Manieres de penser, the CAA quarterly and an issue of Academic Matters.