10-second review: The problem of egotism. “Still it takes a fair amount of ego to discourse on one’s private affairs and offer judgments about life…. Most people are brought up to think it is impolite to talk about themselves; in academic papers, scholars are discouraged from using the first person singular.”
“The trick is to realize that one is not important, except insofar as one’s example can serve to elucidate a more widespread human trait and make readers feel a little less lonely and freakish.”
The Art of the Personal Essay. Ed. Phillip Lopate. New York
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