Sebastian de Grazia (1917–2000)

The central question ("How is it that the United States has not so much a name, as a formal description standing in for a name, and what does the story behind this fact tell us about the country?") is quite interesting. The fictional story used to relay this argument is hackneyed, especially the romantic sub-plot between student and tutor. Too easy to speculate the romance was added as a way to provoke staid academia, more than for any reason connected with the argument itself. The tutor as older English woman, and student as adolescent American boy, is neatly farcical as a premise, but nothing is added by relaying actual conversation between these characters, let alone proposing they go out on a date.… (more)