As I lay dozing, in the dream-time between letting Jenny out at seven and getting up and on with the day at eight, once more an array of random thoughts and questions swirled through my half-awake mind. Trivia. Lots of trivia.Trivia, I mused. From the Latin--three roads. And it was the name of a curriculum in ancient times-the study of three things. But what were those things? Geometry, I think, and what? and wasn't there also a quadrivium--studying four things? Oh, dear, I'm going to have to get up and ask Mr. Google.
What a pleasure to have the answers so available. Mr. Google and Wikipedia tell me that the Trivium (the study of grammar, logic, and rhetoric) was the first order of study, laying the groundwork for the Quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.)
Together they comprise the Seven Liberal Arts--thinking studies as opposed to practical studies like medicine or architecture. It's a fascinating article HERE.A few years ago, a fellow writer who was part of the English Department at one of the NC state schools, told me that they had had only one (1!) student declare English as a major that semester.I was aghast. I so enjoyed all my English courses as I worked on my BA and then my MA. The only major that sounded more enticing to me at the time was Art and I didn't feel confident in my abilities there. English was fun --reading and writing came easily. And when I graduated, I could teach. Or maybe even write. Plus, all that trivia I was absorbing has given me plenty to think about for the past sixty years. But these days, it seems, all the liberal arts courses are going begging as harsh reality, astronomical college tuitions, and student loans necessitate a well-paying job on graduation.There is much to be said for a practical education, from engineering, computer science, medicine, to plumbing, car repair, horticulture, and the like. Where would we be without physicians and car mechanics?And what is the role of the liberal arts in today's world? Beyond providing trivial fodder for pub games, FB quizzes, and the wittering on of an old English major. I know that my life is enriched by what I learned, but is that enough justification?What do you think?
