Dave Mazella
@davemazella.bsky.social
eighteenth-century scholar in Heatstroke, TX. let's see how this goes.
Book: Making of Modern Cynicism, now in paperback from UVA press: https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/2793/
Book: Making of Modern Cynicism, now in paperback from UVA press: https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/2793/
Pinned
Dave Mazella
@davemazella.bsky.social
· Oct 25
The Making of Modern Cynicism
<div><p>Once describing a life of exile, self-denial, physical rigor, and mastery of one’s desires, cynicism now describes a life of political quietis
www.upress.virginia.edu
My book on ancient and modern cynicism, The Making of Modern Cynicism (2007, UVA press), is now available again in paperback!
Because cynicism never goes out of fashion.
www.upress.virginia.edu/title/2793/
Because cynicism never goes out of fashion.
www.upress.virginia.edu/title/2793/
Reposted by Dave Mazella
Another turn on the Genre Turn (and a review of Jeremy Rosen’s excellent Genre Bending). www.chronicle.com/article/is-l...
Opinion | Is ‘Literary Fiction’ Just Another Genre Now?
There is no real middlebrow any more.
www.chronicle.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Another turn on the Genre Turn (and a review of Jeremy Rosen’s excellent Genre Bending). www.chronicle.com/article/is-l...
Reposted by Dave Mazella
Me on LLMs, Grok especially, as epistemic weapons:
January 14, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Me on LLMs, Grok especially, as epistemic weapons:
Reposted by Dave Mazella
My operating assumption is that he tried to do a hasty coup in 2020 that failed, and so everything he does in his second term should be understood as laying the groundwork for a second coup to succeed.
January 28, 2026 at 4:59 PM
My operating assumption is that he tried to do a hasty coup in 2020 that failed, and so everything he does in his second term should be understood as laying the groundwork for a second coup to succeed.
Reposted by Dave Mazella
There are many research hosting services out there. Lots of them want to host your work in order to mine it for profit. Knowledge Commons wants to build a coalition of researchers, teachers, students, and more, in order to resist the authoritarian effort to undermine public access to knowledge.
Knowledge Commons – Open access, open source, open to all
hcommons.org
January 28, 2026 at 2:46 PM
There are many research hosting services out there. Lots of them want to host your work in order to mine it for profit. Knowledge Commons wants to build a coalition of researchers, teachers, students, and more, in order to resist the authoritarian effort to undermine public access to knowledge.
Reposted by Dave Mazella
If this isn't prime "timeline cleanse" content I don't know what is!
Hendrick Bogaert, A Man Dancing with a Dog, oil on panel, 26.5 cm × 22.3 cm, c. 1655-c. 1665 (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam)
January 28, 2026 at 5:31 PM
If this isn't prime "timeline cleanse" content I don't know what is!
let's go
credit where credit is due, the Wikipedia entry on "romance novel" manages a short (somewhat perfunctory) section on the Ming-Qing "scholar-beauty" 才子佳人 novel
this large and mostly unsung body of works is one of the only historical romance traditions in which men predominated
this large and mostly unsung body of works is one of the only historical romance traditions in which men predominated
![Chinese vernacular romance novels
Pages of the novel Huatu yuan (translated into English as A Destiny in Two Paintings), collection of the Harvard-Yenching Library
During the Ming and Qing dynasties in China, there was a mass circulation and flourishment of a type of printed romantic novels called caizi jiaren ("scholar and beauty"),[36][37] which typically involves a love story between a beautiful and talented maiden and a handsome young scholar.[38] Some examples of these novels include Ping Shan Leng Yan, Haoqiu zhuan, Iu-Kiao-Li, Huatu yuan, Qiao Lian Zhu, Wu Mei Yuan, Bai Gui Zhi, Jin Yun Qiao, Ting Yue Lou, Wu Jiang Xue, Lin er bao, Ying Yun meng, Tiehua xianshi, Shuishi yuan, Jinxiang ting, Erdu mei quanzhuan, Dingqing ren, Qingmeng tuo and Zhuchun yuan. They feature themes influenced by the romantic Tang dynasty chuanqi fictions such as Yingying's Biography, The Tale of Li Wa and Huo Xiaoyu zhuan, as well as the popular works of Song and Yuan playwrights such as Bai Renfu, Zheng Guangzu and Wang Shifu.These novels reached their peak of popularity in the late Ming and early Qing periods, during the 17th century, when a myriad of novels of this type were sold and distributed.[38]
The overwhelming prevalence of this type of romance novels was famously mocked in Cao Xueqin's The Dream of the Red Chamber, where it ridicules: "There are thousands of such "caizi jiaren" ["scholar and beauty"] books, and yet they are all alike!"[39] Moreover, these Chinese romance novels would also go on to have an enduring influence on both Eastern and Western literatures.[40][41][42]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:n7zttrwglryfssyh2yycb5fr/bafkreidbtjohe3u22atkxpt57p24nyzmgi7fpavtqtozczzltifaywcybq@jpeg)
January 28, 2026 at 6:10 PM
let's go
this makes me kinda wish we'd punished someone for Iran-Contra
Administration processes sales and uses the $$$ as it likes without involving Congress was basically Iran-Contra, one of the largest presidential scandals of the 20th century.
Marco Rubio: "The oil proceeds are being deposited into an account that ultimately will become a US Treasury blocked account here in the US. We will say 'this is what this money can be spent on.' They will submit to us a budget request -- 'we want to use the money on these things.'"
January 28, 2026 at 6:08 PM
this makes me kinda wish we'd punished someone for Iran-Contra
Reposted by Dave Mazella
The greatest Sesame Street cartoon of all time.
CONTENT WARNING: that bird is a real asshole
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-3j...
CONTENT WARNING: that bird is a real asshole
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-3j...
Vintage Sesame Street I Get Mad goat
YouTube video by guehla
www.youtube.com
January 28, 2026 at 5:55 PM
The greatest Sesame Street cartoon of all time.
CONTENT WARNING: that bird is a real asshole
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-3j...
CONTENT WARNING: that bird is a real asshole
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-3j...
Reposted by Dave Mazella
One of the things that is happening here is that the reason DHS is the preferred mechanism for the Steven Millers of the world is that it happens under much lower evidentiary and procedural standards, but median voters don't know that until they see it. Over and over again.
January 28, 2026 at 5:25 PM
One of the things that is happening here is that the reason DHS is the preferred mechanism for the Steven Millers of the world is that it happens under much lower evidentiary and procedural standards, but median voters don't know that until they see it. Over and over again.
Reposted by Dave Mazella
ICYMI: This Saturday, progressive Taylor Rehmet squares off against a billionaire-funded Christian nationalist for a +17 Trump state senate seat in Tarrant County, a hub of the far right. Rehmet already over-performed, and is confident he’s on the verge of a stunning upset in a bellwether county.
In Tarrant County, a Hub for the Far Right, a Democrat Seeks a Major Upset
In a runoff election for Texas Senate District 9, which has not elected a Democrat since 1991, Taylor Rehmet is betting his pro-labor message can flip disillusioned voters.
www.texasmonthly.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:21 PM
ICYMI: This Saturday, progressive Taylor Rehmet squares off against a billionaire-funded Christian nationalist for a +17 Trump state senate seat in Tarrant County, a hub of the far right. Rehmet already over-performed, and is confident he’s on the verge of a stunning upset in a bellwether county.
Reposted by Dave Mazella
The Texas Tribune is dedicated to helping Texans vote.
Ahead of the 2026 election, we’ve collected our voting resources on this page for you to easily find and share them with others:
Ahead of the 2026 election, we’ve collected our voting resources on this page for you to easily find and share them with others:
Voting resources: How to vote in Texas - The Texas Tribune
How to vote in Texas.
www.texastribune.org
January 28, 2026 at 2:43 PM
The Texas Tribune is dedicated to helping Texans vote.
Ahead of the 2026 election, we’ve collected our voting resources on this page for you to easily find and share them with others:
Ahead of the 2026 election, we’ve collected our voting resources on this page for you to easily find and share them with others:
Bootstrap talk is what education is for, if you look at what gets funded
Once again a government is giving a helping hand to the “lift yourself up by your bootstraps” community.
This is yet another of the endless examples demonstrating how it is IMPOSSIBLE to lift yourself up by your bootstraps.
If the trillionaires-to-be pushing AI can’t do it YOU sure as fuck can’t!
This is yet another of the endless examples demonstrating how it is IMPOSSIBLE to lift yourself up by your bootstraps.
If the trillionaires-to-be pushing AI can’t do it YOU sure as fuck can’t!
BREAKING: Free AI training will be offered to every adult in the UK, with short courses to teach people how to use simple AI tools effectively in the workplace.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall tells #BBCBreakfast about the scheme
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall tells #BBCBreakfast about the scheme
January 28, 2026 at 2:52 PM
Bootstrap talk is what education is for, if you look at what gets funded
i keep thinking she’d have done better as someone’s vice provost than the leader of a huge news org
I think the defining quality of Bari Weiss media is her insistence on the need for dramatic change or bold action - followed by a parade of the most aged, tired, impossibly dull figures or ideas, except they’re also always underqualified amateurs or cranks.
Along w/ Huberman, CBS also announced Mark Hyman, a longtime RFK Jr ally and functional medicine proponent, and Peter Attia, a longevity influencer, as contributors. All three were cited by Kennedy in a recent interview as the best people for lifestyle advice.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
January 28, 2026 at 2:47 PM
i keep thinking she’d have done better as someone’s vice provost than the leader of a huge news org
Reposted by Dave Mazella
By the time Joe escaped his enslaver, he had seen much of the revolutionary Atlantic world. Born in Guadeloupe he traveled to New York and S. Carolina before landing in Philadelphia.
Read the surprising story of Joe’s escape as told by our intern Molly Laughlin: freedom-seekers.org/story/joe-au...
Read the surprising story of Joe’s escape as told by our intern Molly Laughlin: freedom-seekers.org/story/joe-au...
January 26, 2026 at 3:45 PM
By the time Joe escaped his enslaver, he had seen much of the revolutionary Atlantic world. Born in Guadeloupe he traveled to New York and S. Carolina before landing in Philadelphia.
Read the surprising story of Joe’s escape as told by our intern Molly Laughlin: freedom-seekers.org/story/joe-au...
Read the surprising story of Joe’s escape as told by our intern Molly Laughlin: freedom-seekers.org/story/joe-au...
FREDERIK RUYSCH 1724-28 THESAURUS ANATOMICUS Medicine ANATOMY Copper ENGRAVINGS
#books #antiquarian #18thcentury #anatomy #medicine #Ruysch #thesaurus #histmed #engravings #body #Huyberts #bookauction
bit.ly/4q6Nkqd
#books #antiquarian #18thcentury #anatomy #medicine #Ruysch #thesaurus #histmed #engravings #body #Huyberts #bookauction
bit.ly/4q6Nkqd
January 28, 2026 at 12:58 PM
Reposted by Dave Mazella
Just started doing new data analysis and I know I keep saying this, but: I really, really don't think people appreciate how much this moral panic was a deliberate and extremely expensive invention.
January 28, 2026 at 3:12 AM
Just started doing new data analysis and I know I keep saying this, but: I really, really don't think people appreciate how much this moral panic was a deliberate and extremely expensive invention.
Reposted by Dave Mazella
They say to understand politics follow the money. This excellent article does that for the expanding 'civic institute' scam. Tracing the money trail leads back to a shadowy network of right-wing billionaires like the Koch family.
prismreports.org/2026/01/27/c...
prismreports.org/2026/01/27/c...
Right-wing plot to set up ‘intellectual freedom centers’ at public universities
UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Florida are part of the effort to push conservative ideology on college students in the guise of civics education
prismreports.org
January 28, 2026 at 12:04 PM
They say to understand politics follow the money. This excellent article does that for the expanding 'civic institute' scam. Tracing the money trail leads back to a shadowy network of right-wing billionaires like the Koch family.
prismreports.org/2026/01/27/c...
prismreports.org/2026/01/27/c...
Reposted by Dave Mazella
🔓𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀
𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀, 𝗙𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁, 𝟭𝟲𝟲𝟬–𝟭𝟴𝟬𝟬
Jennifer Mori
More Info: bit.ly/4q7P0zR
#History #BookHistory #Printing #Publishing #English #Literature #Literacy #OpenAccess
𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀, 𝗙𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁, 𝟭𝟲𝟲𝟬–𝟭𝟴𝟬𝟬
Jennifer Mori
More Info: bit.ly/4q7P0zR
#History #BookHistory #Printing #Publishing #English #Literature #Literacy #OpenAccess
January 28, 2026 at 10:28 AM
🔓𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀
𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀, 𝗙𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁, 𝟭𝟲𝟲𝟬–𝟭𝟴𝟬𝟬
Jennifer Mori
More Info: bit.ly/4q7P0zR
#History #BookHistory #Printing #Publishing #English #Literature #Literacy #OpenAccess
𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀, 𝗙𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁, 𝟭𝟲𝟲𝟬–𝟭𝟴𝟬𝟬
Jennifer Mori
More Info: bit.ly/4q7P0zR
#History #BookHistory #Printing #Publishing #English #Literature #Literacy #OpenAccess
Reposted by Dave Mazella
This is an important op-ed from @ncaaup.bsky.social President Belle Boggs. Academic freedom—allowing open discussion in classrooms and creative scholarly research free from censorship—is what creates healthy and thriving learning environments for students. ncnewsline.com/2026/01/26/w...
Why Parents and Students Should Care About Academic Freedom • NC Newsline
More than anything that draws students to our campuses — more than winning sports teams and fancy dining halls, state-of-the-art labs and well-stocked libraries — academic freedom is what makes our un...
ncnewsline.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:53 AM
This is an important op-ed from @ncaaup.bsky.social President Belle Boggs. Academic freedom—allowing open discussion in classrooms and creative scholarly research free from censorship—is what creates healthy and thriving learning environments for students. ncnewsline.com/2026/01/26/w...
Reposted by Dave Mazella
it’s really hard to square the courage of ilhan omar with the fecklessness of her colleagues that have done essentially nothing to publicly support her while the president of the united states threatens and attacks her
someone just tried attacking rep ilhan omar at her town hall in north minneapolis, reportedly trying to spray her with something, but was tackled before he could get to her. she returned to speaking
January 28, 2026 at 1:10 AM
it’s really hard to square the courage of ilhan omar with the fecklessness of her colleagues that have done essentially nothing to publicly support her while the president of the united states threatens and attacks her
Reposted by Dave Mazella
second sitting black congressperson to be assaulted in the past week. all the violence seems to be coming from one side, and it ain’t ours
video of the moment a man tried spraying something at ilhan omar at her town hall in minneapolis tonight
January 28, 2026 at 1:24 AM
second sitting black congressperson to be assaulted in the past week. all the violence seems to be coming from one side, and it ain’t ours
this looks like good news, but I know nothing about Goluboff
January 28, 2026 at 1:22 AM
this looks like good news, but I know nothing about Goluboff
Reposted by Dave Mazella
Worth knowing.
popular.info/p/the-corpor...
popular.info/p/the-corpor...
The corporate enablers of the ICE crackdown
How Amazon, AT&T, and Citizens Bank are profiting from the administration’s mass deportation campaign.
popular.info
January 27, 2026 at 11:40 PM
Worth knowing.
popular.info/p/the-corpor...
popular.info/p/the-corpor...
Reposted by Dave Mazella
Strong evidence the Trump regime jails people for political speech.
There was a huge dump of documents related to the American Association of University Professor's lawsuit against the government for abducting students. Among them is a memo March 21, 2025 memo from State Dept. that verifies Rümeysa Öztürk, a student at Tufts, was detained only for writing an op-ed.
January 28, 2026 at 12:51 AM
Strong evidence the Trump regime jails people for political speech.