 
                         20050721.00

                  Introductory Explanation

     The notes in this directory were composed in the context
of my participation in a senior citizens' book group
sponsored by the Belmont Public Library.  For some years, I
resisted joining this group partly out of concern that my
involvement would turn me into a senior citizen. I hoped that
I could escape this fate by remaining aloof. I was also
concerned that I would be unable to modulate my contributions
to harmonize with the expectations of the group. Both
concerns have proved valid.

     If I continue attending nonetheless, I do so because of
an obligation imposed on me by my novel, Die Andere, which
explores the function of literature as an instrument of
intellectual and emotional community. And it was not
community with the other members of the book group that
concerned me, but with my family which is also in attendance.
In addition it is apparent that the books which are "assigned"
from month to month are writings which I would otherwise
never have occasion to read. Participation, therefore,
significantly broadens my literary horizon.

     The perplexing issue that arose almost immediately was
that my considerations and reflections were much lengthier,
and in general of greater complexity than appropriate for the
group. It was a source of frustration consistently to have 
more on my mind than I had occasion to express. I solved this
problem from day to day by writing down my thoughts about
what I had been reading. These daily notations address
themselves to no reader. Although they are published here
primarily for my own reference, whoever wishes to read over
my shoulder, so to speak, is welcome.


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Copyright 2005, Ernst Jochen Meyer
