[T]he knowledge for knowledge's sake ethos that is the foundation of a liberal arts education -- and of a rich and satisfying life...

Hold up, Hoss.

That's a pretty big assumption, and one not easily defended.
Knowledge that isn't useful is known as "trivia", and although it can be fun showing off one's command of such, or perhaps making some money with it on a game show, that hardly amounts to a "rich and satisfying life".

Being well-familiar with literary works one enjoys enriches life; being well-familiar with literary works that one does not enjoy is only worthwhile if they help one keep a job.
Or, I suppose, impress a date.

People must be entertained and amused because they have no inner life to sustain them.

erp: What's entertaining about Jack Kerouac?

In defence of useless knowledge, it's surprising how often it ends up becoming useful.

In defence of reading things you don't think you'll like:

1) one of the most rewarding things you can do in life is to change your mind
2) at the very least, you should know your enemy.

Michael,

You do Jeremy Bentham proud. We're all utilitarians now, right?

Ed

"Or, I suppose, impress a date."

The only reason I ever studied poetry.

the really funny part is that, without a hint of irony, Zane bemoans the fact that the otherwise beneficial 'assault on high culture and tradition' leads to the unfortunate consequence of the little college buggers' lack of interest in ... (wait for it..).. Jack Kerouac!

LOL!

Jon gets it. The Leftist Boomer Profs spent the last 25 years telling people that their "theory" proves that there is no such thing as art, truth or value, and then they are devastated when their students take them seriously.

Brit writes:

"1) one of the most rewarding things you can do in life is to change your mind"

I grow weary of the sentiments like this one. (This, and "it is a true sign of intelligence to change your mind." Unless, of course, you change it to disagree with me. Unless, of course, you're David Horowitz. Or Christopher Hitchens. Then you aren't intelligent, you're evil. And, far from it being "rewarding," you are imagined to be miserable... in the grip of psychosis... or a puppet of "the other side.")

I'm still racking my brains trying to figure out when it was that society esteemed poor, unknown know-it-alls.

I agree with Truman Capote.

Most college students today don't have a compelling reason to be there. Going to college is just something you're supposed to do.

Kerouac may be the most misinterpreted author of the past half-century (a bit more, by now, I guess...). Oh well.

Brian:

The best and most common pattern is this:

1) you think what your parents think and are conservative
2) when you're old enough, you rebel against your parents and become leftist
3) when you get a bit older than that you rebel against the rebellion and go back to being an even more staunch conservative with a real hatred for leftists
4) finally, you start thinking for yourself about everything and find that you don't really fit neatly into any category.

That's at least three changes of mind. Any less is pitifully unrewarding, and in fact is tantamount to cheating.

Brit:

Except nowadays, the parents are leftists, so the kids skip start at step 2.

I was too old for Kerouac. Never read him, but was totally amused by Tom Wolfe's account of him. Laughed so hard one time reading Wolfe, I thought I'd get arrested for public drunkenness. They used to do that back then.

Like most people of my age, I started out with comic books, found out about the library, read every I could and am still doing it, only now I can read things on the internet and get immediate feedback from others with the same interests, even authors (if they're still alive).

It's a great life, I’ve never felt lonely or the need to be amused or entertained and don't have a breakdown if the TV goes flooey. When I’m at a party or social gathering (other than with my darling grandchildren), I can’t wait to leave and resume my real life behind my bunker away from the babbling crowd.

BTW - Did Griffin get whatever it was he wanted? I hope somebody came through for the poor kid.

erp:

He's stuck with the Nintendo 64 his cousins gave him and mad at all of you.

Brit:

It ends when you recognize that you don't know anything useful that your great-great-grandfather didn't know. Then you're an adult.

oj. Even his grandma let him down? Unheard of. Well maybe Santa will make it up to him. I certainly hope.

Hint to all you potential Santas out there. As Capt. Picard says, Make it happen.

I haven't read Kerouac in years, but enjoyed him back in my college days. I find it hard to see how anyone who actually read him could say that he "trashed eveything that came before t[h]em and denounced all values as well." If anything, Kerouac and the other Beats were obsessed with values. True, their values might not match those of mainstream '50s America, but that often meant looking backward to older values (in the radical tradition; radical=root) such as Eastern mysticism and even Catholicism (in Kerouac's case).

I realize that around here there's a tendency for all art and science to be graded according to how well it fits OJ's religious and political views, but Kerouac could be a fine writer and is someone creative writing students should be familiar with.

The prof is assuming that the students should want to know him. Talk about impertinent.

Look, if your class is a prerequisite that students have to take to get the degree, not because they want to be there, do not be surprised if the students only put in the minimum effort. They don't like the prof, they don't like the class - what did you expect from an eighteen/nineteen year old anyway?