(7:21 PM) | Adam Kotsko:

Brushing Up

This is mainly an advice-soliciting post.

First, knowing that there are probably relatively few of my readers who could answer this: Would I be better off taking one of the intensive reading courses in Hyde Park (primarily oriented toward taking the U of C grad student language exam, though "open to interested adult learners"), or one (or two, in sequence) of the more general courses at the Alliance Francaise in Chicago?

Second, given that I already have a firm grasp of Spanish grammar, would "brushing up" on Spanish reading before taking the French course be of much benefit? I already own a collection of some Borges stories in Spanish; would any other particular work or works be preferable?

Third, given that I'm more prone to get pissed off about questions of theology than to produce reasoned prose or actually study theological works, should I look into comp-lit or English after I'm done at CTS? I'd ask about philosophy, but since I'm a continental-oriented guy, official philosophy programs seem like kind of a non-starter job-wise -- plus, I'm sincerely starting to miss working with Milton, Spenser, et al., especially Spenser. Is there any other poet writing in English whose works have such a high density of "WTF?!" moments? (If my creativity runs dry and the news remains monotonous, expect a Tribute to Spenser post within the next few weeks.)

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