Howard Singerman

Jan 21, 2025 | laphamsquarterly.org | George Steiner |Howard Singerman |Andrew Delbanco |Jamie James

In the West, the notion of “literacy” is inseparable from the growth of monasticism and church schools after the decay of the Roman Empire. To be “literate” signified the ability to read Scripture, to form letters on the page. This capacity, often rudimentary, defined the cleric and the clerk, these two designations being closely related.

Sep 8, 2024 | laphamsquarterly.org | April Bernard |Howard Singerman |Peter Stothard

The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled. —PlutarchTo bring up the subject of education in nearly any sector of the American conversation—after dinner or before breakfast, in print and en blog, via public television or private smartphone—is to invite an argument or endure a sermon. No subject strikes closer to the bone of the democratic idea, and whether standing at the bar or seated on the lawn, all present come armed with two invincible opinions:1.