If I could get a good night's sleep....

I find I've run out of mental energy after very little work. I'm not happy about this, but I know it's because I've run on a sleep deficit the last two nights, and it's sapping my concentration. I did get at least a few entries done today--and found out that three more books are waiting for me at the campus library (yet another trip to campus, oh goody)--but I have drawn a line as far as research goes, and I hope this time I actually stick to it. I have enough. Possibly way more than enough.

It is interesting, however, to focus my attention on the critical reception for one specific novel and along the way to read various overviews of Le Guin's work: critic after critic points to the same basic themes, albeit often in different ways, and almost everyone at some point mentions Taoism, Jung, cultural anthropology or, frequently, all three, as influences on Le Guin's thinking. Of course this is not at all news to me; it's just interesting to see it over and over again. I'm thinking perhaps I want to restructure how I frame the paper assignment for the novel next time I teach it. And I'm also thinking that I might assign some of the critical stuff as required reading instead of letting students either find it or not, depending on their tenacity and skills at research.

In any event, this will be a very short blog post, as I don't have anything much to note. I simply will sign off on the work today, and hope--again--for a more productive day tomorrow.