1. Of Charles Dickens, Angie Dickinson, and Edgar Allan Poe, who isn’t your favorite author? Why?

2. Who isn’t your least favorite, and why?

3. What are the positives and negatives of each author? Please don’t comment on literary style, form and content.

4. Which works haven’t you read by each author? Why?

5. What are your impressions of and feelings about taking such a quiz?

6. If you are not certain what works by these authors you have or haven’t read, what, if anything are you certain about? What works for you?

7. How popular is each author in your home country, and what factoids do you believe account for that popularity (or lack of popularity)? How many poplars are in (or not in) your country?

8. Which of these authors seems most “Korean” or compatible with Korean society/values? Please explain.

9. Which of these authors would you regard as most “Old School”? Please explain.

10. What don’t you know about each of these authors’ lives? What mistakes have you made in life? If you had to choose to be ONE of these authors, what mistakes would you make?

Extra Credit: Prick your fingertip and sketch a picture of ONE of these authors on the back of this sheet until the blood ceases to flow.

In Praise of Kant

One of my favorite works of
Philosophy was written by the German
Tinker Immanuel Kant. Perhaps
You have heard of him. It is
Called Critique of Pure Raisin.
In this book, Immanuel Kant
Wrote about many things, but it is
Mainly about how if just because
Most other people like raisins, that
Doesn’t mean you have to. So if you
Don’t like raisins, you don’t have to
Feel bad about it. This alone was one
Of Kant’s most significant contributions
To the world. Overall, however, one
Gets the sense that the book is more
About purity than raisins. Purity can
Be dangerous, as it can lead to ethnic
Cleansing. He also wrote another book
Which is probably my second most
Favorite, entitled A Reason in the Sun.

One thing I find difficult to understand
About Kant is how he went from a career
In philosophy, always thinking about
The deepest things, to devoting most of
His time and efforts to the adult film
Industry. However, after watching
Some of his biggest hits, such as
Immanuel I, Immanuel II, Goodbye
Immanuel, Black Immanuel and
Immanuel’s Revenge, I believe I
Have found something some
Scholars could be interested in:
The importance of sex in our lives
After spending so many years cooped
Up indoors thinking about raisins
Who likes them and who doesn’t
And why it matters, never having
Set foot outside his hometown, I can
See why Kant decided to become a star.

Loren Goodman is the author of Famous Americans, selected by W.S. Merwin for the 2002 Yale Series of Younger Poets, Suppository Writing (2008) and New Products (2010). He is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing and English Literature at Yonsei University/Underwood International College in Seoul, Korea, and serves as the UIC Creative Writing Director.