Word: cleverness
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...dinner party last month, a biomedical engineer asked me a rude question. He was not trying to be rude. He was drunk. Informed that I am an English professor, he responded, "Why?" He explained that his mission in life is to save lives. Mine is to say clever things about dead writers. Prodded by his wife’s grimace, he backtracked a bit and reassured me that Shakespeare is "obviously important." Praising Shakespeare is how the world apologizes for its lack of interest in literature. Those of us who have devoted our lives to literature are dogged by this...
...decried Hal Boedeker of the Seattle Times, “Its chances for success die each time Kenny does,” he waxed oracular. “Carnivalesque,” reporter Ethan Thompson declared, imputing to “South Park” a brand of clever satire with a literary tradition...
...until his third birthday an “upshneering” instead of the Yiddish “upsherin”—and her Klapper character deduces the numerical value of his Hebrew name using a form of gematria so obscure that Goldstein is either being very clever with his dialogue or is in error...
...employee (David Duchovny) in “The Joneses.” In this commentary on modern American consumerism, director Derrick Borte explores the consequences of taking this advice to the limit. The film, graced with an original premise, a talented and well-cast group of actors, and a clever, well-paced script manages to be ironically funny, genuinely touching, and disturbing all at once. Borte critiques American society, but avoids heavy cynicism by allowing characters to form believable relationships, and by showing that even the Joneses can’t keep up with themselves...
...which the Joneses mimic the tendencies of a normal American family is the source of both the movie’s clever humor and disturbing power. Even in the privacy of their own home, the relationships between Kate, Steve, Mick, and Jenn are not so far off from recognizable family dynamics. Moore, who doubles as the matriarch and the head of this particular advertising “unit,” skillfully imitates the ambitious career woman who puts her job before emotional intimacy, and constantly pressures her family members to reach their full “potential...