Uncloistered

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  “She gazed ahead through a long reach of future days strung together like pearls in a rosary, every one like the others, and all smooth and flawless and innocent, and her heart went up in thankfulness. Outside was the fervid summer afternoon; the air was filled with the sounds of the busy harvest of men and birds and bees; there were halloos, metallic clatterings, sweet calls, and long hummings. Louisa sat, prayerfully numbering her days, like an uncloistered nun.” A New England Nun By Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (1852–1930)

A Golden Nugget

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10 or 12 years ago I was enraptured with John Steinbeck's "East of Eden." While I am sure the name "Marcus Aurelius" came to my attention in much earlier study, I can say without a doubt that it was Steinbeck's multiple references to "Meditations" that locked the good Emperor into my brain. 

While researching for my dissertation, I was amazed (read: "downright thrilled") to find a scholarly article discussing the influence of both the Bible and "Meditations" on Steinbeck's book, "East of Eden." Not only has one's personal affinity for Steinbeck sweetened, but the article demonstrates how deeply integrated "Meditations" is into the plot. The source material is as follows (might require an academic log-in): 

Brannon, Brian. 2009. “A Tiny Volume Bound in Leather: The Influence of Marcus Aurelius on East of Eden.” Steinbeck Review. Vol. 6, no. 2: 23-27.


" . . . read carefully, and not to be satisfied with a superficial understanding of a book . . . " (Marcus Aurelius, to Rusticus)

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