To the Editor:
Dora Zhang made some interesting points in her article “Literature and Money” (The Chronicle Review, March 27). However, saying “We don’t expect a molecular biologist to love bacteria in the way we expect an English professor to love Jane Austen” shows a woeful lack of understanding of other disciplines. Many successful academics put their heart and soul into their work, developing an intense feeling of deep affection for their subject, whether books, baroque art, or bacteria. Not simply an attraction driven by exploitation, but a relationship where the object of affection constantly occupies a part of your mind, where you can’t wait to get back to the object of your affection, and where you are proud to talk about it in public. Although it may be hard for an English professor to understand, it really is possible to love bacteria!
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