No, this isn’t Stone Mountain. It’s “the largest palimpsest of Civil War memory to be found anywhere on planet Earth — the Atlanta Cyclorama, one of the great wonders of the postmodern world.” Which is to say, it’s an enormous 360-degree painting, once a major tourist attraction, that was painted over repeatedly to change the narrative and show one side or the other as winning. — Smithsonian Magazine
Tag: December 2018
Elena Ferrante Might Be More Than One Person — And Here’s Why That Would Matter
In the form of “An Open Letter to Elena Ferrante, Whoever You Are,” Rachel Donadio does a dive into the writings of the two people (who happen to be married to each other) most often suggested as the actual writer of the mysterious Italian author’s novels, essays, and e-mail interviews — and Donadio considers why so many of the readers who love Ferrante’s work are invested in her identity, particularly her identity as a woman. — The Atlantic
Duolingo And Babbel May Not Teach You Much Of A Foreign Language, But They’ll Addict You
Says Duolingo’s CEO with frankness, “We prefer to be more on the addictive side than the fast-learning side. … In the U.S., about half of our users aren’t even really motivated to learn a language; they just want to pass the time on something besides Candy Crush.”