William H. Pritchard, a frequent contributor, is the Henry Clay Folger Professor of English, Emeritus, at Amherst College. Also by this author Eliot’s Pitiless Brilliance Get Commonweal’s latest, delivered twice weekly. Email address Published in the 2004-10-22 issue: View Contents Recommended for you A Presidential Smash and Grab By The Editors May 21, 2026 ‘As an Emerald Is Green’ By Ellen Wayland-Smith May 25, 2026 ‘The Real Thing’ By Anthony Domestico May 19, 2026
