Notes on the writer aesthetic, the misconceptions of Wuthering Heights, storytelling, reading as resistance, finding meaning through intellect, hidden women's literary labor, and more.
You should share more personal anecdotes from time to time! The story about your parents wedding video was so wholesome, it lft me wanting to hear your granddad speak. Thanks again for such a great list!
I'm quite new to Substack, and your space is so far my favorite here. Thanks for sharing your findings, learning continuously, and forming opinions that engage!
I wish I had friends like this, people with whom I can share my odd interests. This have me motivation I didn't know I was lacking, I especially loved the wedding story it felt so intimate and romantic, there's something about old videos and movies and antiquities that has a firm hold on my heart.
I have few people who share my interests in real life, that’s one of the reasons I started sharing them online :) now I know there’s a whole lot of people out there that align with me, it’s just a matter of finding them
The on being episode was incredible. So grateful I found it through you. This part: "We never see the world exactly as it is. We see it as we hope it will be or we fear it might be. And we spend our lives going through a sort of modified stages of grief about that realization. We deny it, and then we argue with it, and we despair over it." Something that has always caused inner turmoil for me, which has recently come to the front of my consciousness! Feels like kismet hearing this discussion this week.
his is a thoughtful and inspiring reflection on reading as a form of resistance and meaning-making. In an age where constant streams of digital information fragment our attention, reclaiming reading as a practice of depth and focus feels both necessary and refreshing.
However, another dimension also comes to mind. Throughout history, human beings have developed various tools to produce meaning, and literature is certainly one of the most powerful among them. Yet the search for meaning may not be purely cultural—it may also be deeply rooted in the evolutionary structure of the human mind. As the pressures of basic survival diminish in many modern societies, the mind seems to search for new objects of attention and significance. Reading and writing can certainly fill that space, but they might also be expressions of a deeper underlying mechanism.
In that sense, reading may not only function as a cultural act of resistance but also as a manifestation of a fundamental human tendency: the drive to generate meaning. Perhaps we turn to books not only to become more informed or reflective, but because the mind itself continuously seeks patterns, narratives, and interpretations through which it can situate itself in the world.
From this perspective, literature appears not only as a way of understanding reality but also as part of a much longer human process—the ongoing attempt of consciousness to understand itself.
You should share more personal anecdotes from time to time! The story about your parents wedding video was so wholesome, it lft me wanting to hear your granddad speak. Thanks again for such a great list!
It was scary being a bit more personal on here so thank you so much for your kind words :) will definitely do!
I'm quite new to Substack, and your space is so far my favorite here. Thanks for sharing your findings, learning continuously, and forming opinions that engage!
Welcome and I’m so happy to hear! Thank you for reading
I wish I had friends like this, people with whom I can share my odd interests. This have me motivation I didn't know I was lacking, I especially loved the wedding story it felt so intimate and romantic, there's something about old videos and movies and antiquities that has a firm hold on my heart.
I have few people who share my interests in real life, that’s one of the reasons I started sharing them online :) now I know there’s a whole lot of people out there that align with me, it’s just a matter of finding them
I hope to find my people soon 🤍
The on being episode was incredible. So grateful I found it through you. This part: "We never see the world exactly as it is. We see it as we hope it will be or we fear it might be. And we spend our lives going through a sort of modified stages of grief about that realization. We deny it, and then we argue with it, and we despair over it." Something that has always caused inner turmoil for me, which has recently come to the front of my consciousness! Feels like kismet hearing this discussion this week.
his is a thoughtful and inspiring reflection on reading as a form of resistance and meaning-making. In an age where constant streams of digital information fragment our attention, reclaiming reading as a practice of depth and focus feels both necessary and refreshing.
However, another dimension also comes to mind. Throughout history, human beings have developed various tools to produce meaning, and literature is certainly one of the most powerful among them. Yet the search for meaning may not be purely cultural—it may also be deeply rooted in the evolutionary structure of the human mind. As the pressures of basic survival diminish in many modern societies, the mind seems to search for new objects of attention and significance. Reading and writing can certainly fill that space, but they might also be expressions of a deeper underlying mechanism.
In that sense, reading may not only function as a cultural act of resistance but also as a manifestation of a fundamental human tendency: the drive to generate meaning. Perhaps we turn to books not only to become more informed or reflective, but because the mind itself continuously seeks patterns, narratives, and interpretations through which it can situate itself in the world.
From this perspective, literature appears not only as a way of understanding reality but also as part of a much longer human process—the ongoing attempt of consciousness to understand itself.
Heyyy hope you are faring well and get better soon!!!!
Thanks so much for linking my 'writer aesthetic' essay, and thanks doubly for sharing that gorgeous story about your parents' wedding! Wow!