« Sentences of provocation | Main | A Law and Economics Exam Question »
My Favorite Things Vermont
1. Calypso song about a Vermont native: "Guests of Rudy Vallee", and of course Vallee was a central figure behind the popularization of calypso in the United States.
2. Philosopher: John Dewey. I can't actually stand to read him, but if you recast everything he said, you can come up with some profound positions.
3. Undeserving Nobel Laureate: Pearl Buck.
4. Man with an iron rail through his brain: Phineas Gage.
5. Composer: Carl Ruggles - his 16-minute Sun Treader is one of the most underappreciated pieces of great American music.
That's all I can think of right now. I'm headed up to Middlebury for a day and a bit, as guest of David Colander.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on September 18, 2007 at 05:49 AM in Travels | Permalink
Comments
How about the Bread Loaf literature conferences of Middlebury College, and the annual involvement of longtime Vermont-resident Robert Frost?
I agree about the unreadablity of Dewey; however I find it hard to understand why he is unreadable. Sentence by sentence it seems clear enough. But something about his style (or mind?) was just so *boring*.
Posted by: Bruce G Charlton at Sep 18, 2007 7:37:07 AM
Ely Culbertson, former Russian revolutionary, popularizer of bridge, inventor of the Losing Trick Count and many other features of the modern game, decided to devote his energies to working for world peace and based himself in Putney, Vermont. A typical Vermonter.
Posted by: Helen DeWitt at Sep 18, 2007 10:09:14 AM
Justin Morgan, composer of the fuging tune "Montgomery", town clerk of Randolph, VT. A great tune.
Posted by: fasolamatt at Sep 18, 2007 10:50:22 AM
How about Ben and Jerry's ice cream, maple syrup, foliage colors, skiing, Norman Rockwell-esque towns, the smallest state capitol in the country, covered bridges, and Lake Champlain?
Posted by: KingM at Sep 18, 2007 10:56:22 AM
I just discovered your blog after stumbling on Tyler's book in a Barnes & Noble. You should make it much easier to subscribe to this in an RSS reader (or, heck, even via email if people so desire). Either there's no subscribe link, or I missed it, and if I missed it, odds are others do too. What kind of incentive do you need to add the RSS button?
Posted by: David Berkowitz at Sep 18, 2007 11:12:58 AM
And so you should have seen Atilla and me with Mae West and Rudy Vallee!!!!!
Posted by: angus at Sep 18, 2007 11:28:56 AM
Pearl Buck is over-rated as a Nobel winner compared to whom? Her Good Earth narrative about starvation in China is searing and hard to forget. Who else would you have put ahead of her for the Nobel at that time? Maybe there is nothing that is innovative about her technique, but the subject (China and its people) was and is important and not much described (at least in English).
Posted by: cfw at Sep 18, 2007 11:55:48 AM
Vermont right to carry...
Posted by: Affe at Sep 18, 2007 11:58:42 AM
Was there a lot of competition for the "Man with an iron rail through his brain" award? What criteria did you use? More directly through the brain? Will you revisit the award if some guy gets two iron rails through his brain tomorrow?
Posted by: Steve Johnson at Sep 18, 2007 12:48:11 PM
Jam band: Phish?
Posted by: J. at Sep 18, 2007 1:19:51 PM
Ah, but as the Wikipedia article, quoting Mr. Gage, plainly states, he is from Lebanon, New Hampshire, not Vermont! (As a resident of Lebanon, I do feel the need to set the record straight)
Posted by: Dolohov at Sep 18, 2007 1:23:06 PM
Pearl Buck doesn't seem to have all that much to do with Vermont, either. Born in West Virginia, raised in China, college in NY and Va, settled and buried in Pennsylvania. She did die in Vermont.
Posted by: Henry at Sep 18, 2007 2:00:08 PM
"underappreciated pieces of great American music".
I do not know if this tells bad about your musical preferences or about American music. But I must say: as a soundtrack of a thriller movie, "Treader" would be magnificent.
Posted by: Lex at Sep 18, 2007 2:02:11 PM
The comments on Pearl Buck have a little less force coming from someone who actually called Michael Crichton "the best science fiction writer in contemporary times" just a few short months ago. It still shudder at that statement.
Posted by: Chu at Sep 18, 2007 6:20:26 PM
Go to Elizabeth's in Pittsfield, MA. American food, but one of the best I've had in New England. Not to be missed.
Posted by: C L at Sep 18, 2007 6:27:06 PM
Please elaborate on the profound positions yielded from recasting Dewey. I'm not been skeptical, just curious.
OK, a little skeptical.
Posted by: Daniel Klein at Sep 18, 2007 10:21:16 PM
Calvin Coolidge and and his home town, Plymouth Notch. Also my Mom and Arlington.
And that Dewey business does require some explanation.
Posted by: at Sep 19, 2007 8:02:28 AM
Having spent a good chunk of my childhood in West Virginia, I've long been conditioned to list Pearl Buck among "our" famous natives. But she herself didn't spend much time there at all, so perhaps this just reflects a bit of (unnecessary) desperation for state luminaries. I don't associate her at all with my adopted state of Vermont. We're all about Robert Frost.
I wonder if after your visit, you'll add natural beauty to your favorite things Vermont list? It's a bit early for the mountains' autumn coat of colors, but there's still nothing so lovely as the Champlain Valley's farms bounded on either side by the Green Mountains, the lake, and the Adirondacks.
Hope you enjoyed your trip-- we enjoyed having you at the college.
Posted by: Caitlin Myers at Sep 19, 2007 9:25:21 AM
Have to go with the syrup and pancakes:
Hand-crafted industry.
http://www.vermontmaple.org/grades.html
Posted by: Pitt at Sep 19, 2007 11:52:28 AM
Whom does one read for the recast Dewey?
And did TC really say that about Crichton? Jesus wept.
Posted by: Anderson at Sep 19, 2007 12:20:35 PM
That CD is so good. I went ahead and ordered it while feeling the least deserving to listen to any music.
Posted by: Yan Li at Sep 19, 2007 6:58:34 PM
Hi Best wishes。Allow me to offer my heartiest wishes.xicao loves-流水线娱乐博客常年提供高、中、低压锅炉钢管、流体钢管、结构钢管、化肥专用钢管、石油裂化钢管、地质钢管、液压支柱钢管及合金钢管-无缝管-无缝钢管等论文发表资讯/刊物信息，协助客户制定论文发表方案
Posted by: xicao at Nov 13, 2007 9:23:33 PM
Posted by: 翻译公司 at Feb 13, 2008 9:58:29 AM
