A terrific ‘Christmas Carol,’ how beauty is more than a pretty face, welcoming Bob and that reading thing

Posted By: David Fortier December 10, 2023

By David Fortier

Come Sunday morning, Mary and I will have been to another sensational show at Hartford Stage. Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” has returned to Hartford Stage after a hiatus of five years. When Mary told me that it was back, weeks ago, I didn’t think much about it.

In fact, I was ho hum about going. On the night of the show, Saturday evening, I had to force myself to get out of the house. And then magic happened. Well, right from the beginning of the show, the magic streaked across the stage in the form of characters costumed in white, spirits and sprites, with their presence announcing that the territory of this play would be, as we know, beyond the constraints of ordinary reality.

Terrific show, and well worth getting out of the house for. And of course, we are plotting to get the grandkids out to see the next rendition in a year. They are a bit young for a foray out to Hartford this year, so it’s going to have to be later rather than sooner–better late than . . . , you know the rest.

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At TBE, you might have seen that Bob Montgomery has begun writing a new column, “Bob’s bits.” If you missed it, check out Saturday’s posts. It’s good to have Bob working with us.

And of course, it is the end of the year and TBE, functioning under our nonprofit, The Central Connecticut Online Journalism Project, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, accepts donations that for qualified filers are tax deductible. Whether or not you quality for tax deductions, we could use your help. We are looking to establish ourselves as a going concern, one that will be here for a long time.

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Reading and listening this week starts with beauty, and the Hidden Brain podcast, entitled “The Mystery of Beauty.” Two experts put a whole new spin on the concept, which we might conflate with products meant to enhance how we look.

These two take beauty to a new level. Neuroscientist Anjan Chatterjee lays out the groundwork for how beauty works in our everyday life, and Nobel Laurate Frank Wilczek provides the background on how beauty was behind some of the biggest scientific breakthroughs of recent times.

Much of the discussion is a bit wonky. Stick with it. Things become clear. In the end, beauty may take on new meaning. If you have, like me, been struck by something Keats wrote many years ago, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty—that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know,” beauty has been something to mull over–and with this discussion there is a way to begin to see how poetry and science have more in common than not.

Reading this week has been limited to a bunch of New Yorker articles about writers, both from the Nov. 27 issue. The first article is on Joyce Carol Oates, “Personal Statement: Joyce Carol Oates’s relentless search for a self,” by Rachel Aviv and another, “Ghost, Writer: When a friend died, she left behind a novel that need finishing,” by Leslie Jamison.

They are the type of articles to get lost in, especially since when I picked them up I had no intention of reading them; and then I find myself two pages in and without a good reason to stop, even as the minutes fly by and a hundred tasks call my name.

If you have read something lately that struck a nerve, send along an email with the title of the work and what it was that got your attention–and held it. I will share it with our readers. Email dfortier@bristoledition.org.

“Come Sunday morning” is intended to be a weekly review, a recounting of the past week and an anticipation of week to come. Among its features will be reviews of old and new books, sharing of favorite podcasts, some family news, Bristol events and happenings and issues surrounding education, work and community journalism. He can be reached at dfortier@bristoledition.org. 

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