BOOKS I’VE ENJOYED

by Sarah Vinke

From The Montana Library Association Quarterly. Vol 5, No. 3, Page 6 (April 1960)
…(See end below for more information and notes re this article.)

Herewith I declare my abiding love and loyalty to Winnie the Pooh and the House at Pooh Corner . Whimsey and philosophy mingle in the little stuffed animals who people these pages. The “stubborn contrariety” of human individuals is delightfully convincing. Piglet, terrified by the gale roaring among the tree top in the 100 Aker Wood appeals to Pooh: “Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?” “Supposing it didn’t, Piglet,” said Pooh. Or: “Rabbit’s clever?” said Pooh thoughtfully. “Yes, said Piglet, Rabbit has brain.” There was a long silence. “I suppose,” said Pooh, “that that’s why he never understands anything.” Kanga, the devoted mother of Baby Roo, Eeyore, the donkey, whose entire energy is devoted to feeling sorry for himself, and the dull, pompous Owl, who overawes the other animals because he can write his own name, WOL, have recognizable qualities of their human prototypes. These books never pall.

Isak Dinesen has woven an enchanting web of mystery, psychology, urbanity in her Seven Gothic Tales. It has a highly civilized – perhaps even decadent – atmosphere, where the ghosts of past romantic writing (Gothic Tales are tall tales with the aura of tradition) are a burthen of which the reader is always subtly aware. These exquisite, gossamer tales could have no appeal for the practical mind. The mood of reverie which pervades them is luminous with mellow worldly-wisdom. “The clouds parted, and a few of the constellations stood clear in the sky. The Great Bear preached its lesson. ‘Keep your individuality in the crowd.’” “Chivalrousness, I think, means this: to love, or cherish, the pride of your partner, or adversary, as highly or higher than your own.” A vein of humor adds to the charm of these stories: “Your side hurts you now where your rib was once taken out.” The old captain of the sailing vessel contemptuously likens the modern steamer to a self-supporting woman. The riches of the mind are offered with a grain of salt.

On the serious side, there is Creative Society , John MacMurray herein furnishes a compass for use amid the philosophical and religious confusions of our day. Written soon after Communism became a force in the world, the avowed purpose of Creative Society is to point out the fundamental difference between Christianity and Communism. But the author finds it necessary to define what Christianity means. In showing that all religion is the expression of community; that Christianity, by its assertion that there is only one God, affirms that all mankind belong to one community, that a community by releasing its members from fear and replacing fear with love, unfolds human potentialities, MacMurray defines Christianity. He then contrasts the all-embracing love of the Christian ethic (however its followers may fall short of the goal,) with the purely material concept of Communism. His homely application of Christian principles I find wonderfully wholesome after the plethora of foggy analyses of world situations.

On the train, a year ago, I chanced upon a former student who held out the copy of Quiet, Yelled Mrs . Rabbitt which she was reading, saying “You ought to be reading this.” She was quite right. The sheer fun of being the mother of five demanding, persistent, energetic young individuals bubbles up in every line, despite the obstacle race which is her life. All the solemn instructions on family life fall before the vigor of this “so story”. Spirits like Hilda Espy’s can solve our problems of juvenile delinquency.

Currently (and climactically) there is the literary banquet of Fitzroy MacLean. No detective story could afford more excitement and suspense than the dramatic accounts of real experience in Disputed Barricade, Eastern Approaches and A Person from England. One of the trusted representatives of Churchill in World War II, he gives some of his turbulent adventures in the African desert behind Rommel’s lines, in central Persia on a mission to kidnap General Zahidi, in Yugoslavia where he parachuted into Partisan headquarters. Physical and mental courage, the zest for adventure, sensitive human understanding, urbanity, the quiet humor of understatement – all are here combined in books of rare literary grace. That anyone who has helped to make recent history should have the breadth of vision and the detachment manifest in Disputed Disputed, an interpretation of the life and times of Tito, and in Eastern Approaches, which embraces much of World War II, is a tribute to the sound health and self-confidence of the old Anglo-Saxon blood which relishes insecurity.

*Dr. Sarah Vinke is professor of English at Montana State College. Her special field is Shakespeare, but as this essay shows, she has a catholic taste, and a questing mind that is a delight to encounter.

[[End journal transcript, retyped above by Dennis Gary. Next is discussion & how to view article on Internet. ]]

(To view Professor Vinke’s article on line, see link and navigation instructions below.)

NOTE: If you take the time to glance around the Blue Link below, you will discover that, EVERY MONTH there is an article titled “Books I’ve Enjoyed” , each written by a different person. With Sarah Vinke’s version being in the April 1960 issue.

Henry Gurr’s Editor’s Note & Instructions => Where And How To View Professor Vinke’s Article, “Books I’ve Enjoyed”, On The Montana Library Association WebSite.

…We are working on getting permission to post an “html” version of this article on this ZMMQ WebSite, ASAP. Meanwhile, you can view it at link below.
…On my “dial-up” interned connection, the Blue Link below came up somewhat slowly. However on a Fast Internet Connection, it will load instantly.
…Now, to find Sarah’s article, you will need to type Vinke into the special box upper right that has the “Magnifying Glass Icon”, then hit the Enter” Key. On “dial-up” be patient! But on a Fast Internet Connection, the Search Results will load instantly, with a listing of ALL Search Results, listed down the left side of the page, any one of which you can ClickOn to go there.
…You will find that => The beginning of Sarah’s Article in on (96 of 242), as shown screen bottom.
…And the little “mouse click” < > icons (screen bottom), to go “next Search Result" (right or left) really will nicely works!
…And the little “mouse click” White Triangles, to go to next page (right or left) nicely works!
…While I was reading & looking at the other articles, I eventually discovered that the entire journal volume was being loaded into my computer. Once this loading was completed, then (wonder of wonders) all the search and user navigation features, worked very well, quite quickly, and overall were very functional!!
…And even after I had completely disconnected from the internet, I could still search and move around among these pages!!
…This result, of course, may depend on the exact computer you are using. But either way, this is an Interesting, Very Functional, Document Browser Application, that you may want to remember exists, for some future need!! )

View Professor Vinke’s Article, “Books I’ve Enjoyed” Click Here.

We Are Saddened To Report That Robert Dennis Gary Passed Away In Jan 9, 2020, Likely From Covid19. You May Read About His Life => A Robert Dennis Gary Memorial Tribute Page & Autobiography : ALSO PLEASE SEND EMAIL To HenryG__USCA.edu With Your Memories Of Dennis. Click Here.

Links to Additional Reading Related to the Above Article

1) Commentary Re Sarah Vinke’s “Books I’ve Enjoyed”, by Dennis Gary & Henry Gurr

2) Pirsig Memories of “The Devine Sarah”

3)
A Student’s Memories of “Mrs.” Professor Sarah Vinke and Her English Department At Montana State College*, Bozeman MT (1956-1960)

4) Following the Footsteps of My Mentor, Professor Sarah Vinke: My Life as an English Teacher, and Other Memories

5) Dennis Gary’s Values in Thought and Action: My Standards at School and in My Career

6) Memories of Deer Creek Mountain Ranch (an MSC Faculty Outing)

7) “Books I’ve Enjoyed” by Sarah Jennings Vinke, with added commentary by Dennis Gary and Henry Gurr (Originally published, 1960, in the Montana Library Association Journal)

8) Commentary Regarding "Book I've Enjoyed" Sarah Jennings Vinke and Information About Viewing on the Internet by Dennis Gary and Henry Gurr

9) Pirsig Memory, “The Divine Sarah”

10) Vinke, Pirsig, and the Origins of “Quality” and MOQ

11) Shirley Luhrsen and Sarah Vinke: Letters to and from Bozeman

12) Anthony McWatt's Robert Pirsig WebSite Of Jan 22 2018, As Saved By Archive.org.

13) Peter Voulkos's website Voulkos & Co.

14) Howard Dean, Nemesis to Robert Pirsig while Teaching in the MSC English Department

15) “THREATS TO ACADEMIC FREEDOM AT MONTANA STATE COLLEGE” (MSC) This Document, Recreated Below, Is A 1977 Monograph By History Professor Robert G. Dunbar, Montana State College, Which Is Now Montana State University.

16) ” …a "radical" in Gallatin County, Montana, is a little different from a radical somewhere else." The Eleanor Roosevelt Affair.

17) Mr Dennis Gary’s Memories of The Late 1950’s Montana Political Situation: “Ultra Conservatives” +”Senator Joe McCarthy-Ites”,vs “Political Radicals“

18) Pirsig, MSC, and Zen, a selection from In the People's Interest, A Centennial History of Montana State University

19) A Brief Biography of Sarah Jennings Vinke, Found in the Burlingame Special Collections, Montana State University Bozeman

20) Sarah Vinke’s Passing [BOZEMAN DAILY CHRONICLE January 31, 1978. From Obituary Page 10.2]

21) MSC Instructor Asks Probe Over Budget Issue [BOZEMAN DAILY CHRONICLE April 4, 1961]

22) Interview with David Swingle, Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, Montana, on Robert Pirsig, ZMM, MSC, and Bozeman, Montana

23) Interview with Kay Campeau, Bozeman, Montana, resident on Robert Pirsig, ZMM, MSC, and Bozeman, Montana

23) 'Click Here, To View 10 Photos Of Dennis Gary’s Laptop Computer “Daily Work Arena” at San Francisco’s Internet Accessible ''H2O Café '.
...Here you may see an additional self portrait of Dennis Gary, created by Dennis himself, using the Camera of his Laptop Computer.
…This Facebook.com Page was created by Charles Pitts, one of Dennis Gary’s good friends in San Francisco. Here you will find a link to Charles Pits own Facebook.com Page, to see a photo of him. Charles is famous because Wall Street Journal wrote a long article about how Charles had an Internet Presence, but no location address, because he lived under a bridge.

Edited by Dennis Gary 04 May 2014. RevHSG17Nov23.

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