Boastful dunces

Post-literate college students reveal a 'resentful incapacity' | Janie B. Cheaney

Illustration by Krieg Barrie

Do you recall this story? "A large wooden horse is brought by Aeneas from Troy, which Queen Dido thinks is a sign of appreciation. When the wooden horse is opened up and a number of Greek soldiers jump out, Dido is in shock. Thankfully, Aeneas and his men show up and promise to restore her disorder."

If the details aren't like you remember, it's because the wooden horse came to Troy, leading to the city's downfall and the escape of Aeneas, the Trojan hero who became the mythical founder of Rome. As for "restoring her disorder"—good luck with that, whatever it means. The garbled summary is from a finals essay submitted by a student of Thomas Bertonneau, literature professor at SUNY-Oswego, after a semester of exposure to Homer's Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid, and Augustine's Confessions. These and other works form the syllabus of a class called "Western Heritage," intended to introduce young Americans to the foundations of their civilization. It's a worthy goal but, as Professor Bertonneau documents in an online essay titled "What, Me Read?" his most diligent efforts are no longer enough to overcome the "resentful incapacity" of too many of his students.