Look At This, It’s Wonderful

The critic should write to say, not “look how much I’ve read,” but “look at this, it’s wonderful.” If the young feel compelled to come and see your tomb, there should be something good written on it. Here in Cambridge, in Trinity College Chapel, there is a plaque dedicated to Ludwig Wittgenstein. It says, in Latin, that he released thought from its bonds in language. If I ever had a plaque, I would like it to say: He loved the written word, and told the young. — Clive James, Latest Readings 

(quoted in John Banville, “A Quest for Clarity,” New York Review of Books)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *