All Our Sons: Joe Paterno, Joe Keller

[chrisconlon]

What makes a great work of literature great?

I was pondering this question last weekend at a performance of Arthur Miller’s cerebral drama After the Fall at Theater J in Washington, DC. It’s a fine production, skillfully directed, well acted, and featuring a truly beautiful set design. But you may be forgiven if you’ve never even heard of After the

Comments

[cinriter]

Fine, thoughtful piece, Chris.

And I don't really know who Kim Kardashian is either. But then "second and six" means nothing to me as well!

[chrisconlon]

Well, Kim Kardashian must be SOMEBODY. Her picture is on the cover of every magazine at the supermarket checkout stand!

Chris' post

[sandymack]

Wonderful explanation and defense of the power of imaginative literature. The parallels don't stop, of course, with the Joe's--even the Chris's drag blogger-Chris into the story. As I understand it, Joe P didn't even go to the campus authorities when his assistant told him of the rape: he invited them to come to him at home the next day. A sense of nobility ("King don't move his ass for nobody")? A shrewd legal move ("this conversation better not take place in campus")? It doesn't matter--either way Miller's Joe looks no worse than this football coach. Thanks, Chris

Re: Chris' post

[chrisconlon]

Yes, the details only get worse the more we read about this. And, as with Joe Keller, a lot of it seems to come down to the same thing: money. The comparison, Paterno to Keller, really cried out to me the moment I first read of this.

Thanks for chiming in, Sandy.