You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.

The annual meeting of the Modern Language Association has long been the site of hook-ups (and gossip about hook-ups, real, exaggerated and fictional). Craigslist personals for Seattle (the meeting location) provide an insight into the current status of the genre of the MLA pick-up line. (Historians and economists also held annual meetings last week, but only one related personal, from a historian, could be found from their meetings on Craigslist for Chicago, where both groups convened.) Among the MLA members posting on Craigslist, one wrote "Drop me a line and let's see what extra credit work we can come up with." Another listed his qualifications this way: "I'm attractive and a literary genius from the wrong side of the tracks." Yet another asked those replying to "include either the word 'De Man' or 'Derrida' in your subject line."

Next Story

Written By

Share This Article

More from Quick Takes