Eductation of Henry Adams

I enjoyed the preface more than the rest of the essay, but I've read some Rosseau before and really enjoyed it so maybe it was just the quote that won me over. The text is kind of dry seeming, but I thought the author kind of passionate in his distaste for formal education. The author also comes across as cynical, speaking with a lot of vague negative generalizations about people.

I really enjoyed the style of writing, although it was sometimes a little wordy. The ideas were presented and immediately an example or some form of evidence backing them up followed. The distaste for mediocrity is very apparent in his describing of the main character in the first part, especially describing his writing (maybe he was insecure about his writing or unhappy with the person he was in college).

I enjoyed each entry tying in the political themes. It was difficult to really understand Adams's thoughts on education. It seemed like he was saying education isn't possible.