My favorite novel is John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany. This is a book I return to over-and-over, reading it once every 18 months or so. I never tire of the language, of the lyricism, of the politics, of the plot. I never tire of the core of the book which I firmly believe is the friendship between the incredible, improbable and unpredictable Owen Meany and the novel’s narrative voice Johnny Wheelwright.
In my past few instances reflecting on the book, I have come to learn new things and have come to new insights about it. That is the power of a work of art that is really, really potent and lasting. You can return to it and learn more.
What surprised me most recently upon reflection is the fact that the adult John Wheelwright is an English teacher and, according to the book and to what I believe about this wonderful vocation, he’s a very good one.
I am an English teacher. I have always wanted to be one. I was, in fact, studying to become an English teacher when I first read this novel when I was in college.
How much did the fact that one of my favorite books had, as its narrator, an English teacher influence my life direction?
I do not know.
But surely it did.
We never know the influence we have… While culture tends to promulgate the “those who can, do, those who cannot, teach” idiocy, there are hundreds of examples of brilliance and impactful teachers in reality and in pop culture. Every-other-week this year, I will share my brief reflections on Smart People Doing Smart Things be they in literature, in film, in music or in real life. Many will be teachers, but not all. Many will be fictional, but some will be real. All will be inspiring. Welcome to IntelliPop!
