We are no longer so sure materialism defines the good life; that meritocracy is attainable. The world has gotten so big, fairness is purely theoretical. Modernity is so old, we no longer believe consumerism will solve our spiritual problems. The conceptual supports for the American Dream are up for debate.

And by engaging in this debate, we... See more

Françoise Sagan’s Paris Review interview is worth reading in its entirety. I especially enjoyed this exchange:

Is it possible that novels get written because the novelist imagines himself in the role of a novelist writing a novel?

No, one assumes the role of hero and then seeks out “the novelist” who can write his story.

And one always finds the

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