Improving our Critical Thinking Skills for Analyzing Culture

To support how well we picked up on Wharton’s use of “hieroglyphics” motif in The Age of Innocence, I found this video last night on Twitter. I think this will help us appreciate even more the nuances of double standards that Newland, Ellen, and May navigate the 1870s/80s of New York Society. Though I hesitate a little to promote this video because it is a commercial, enjoy training your critical thinking skills to demystify double standards in our culture so that you may analyze them more effectively in Wharton’s world. Let’s also enjoy how she deftly uses them to develop character, situation, and plot.

Though I doubt that I will harvest any leads for more content on #whipit, I do appreciate the discovery from Jim Burke. Back in 2000, I bought and read his book, The English Teacher’s Companion. Now I can follow his microblogs on Twitter.

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