In response to Cyrus’s injunction to “Ask Bryan” what the hell “Rhinestone Cowboy” would have to do with our overview to a course on New York lit, I’ll offer this link, which takes you to a version of what I said this morning in my part of our opening lecture. The bit on “Rhinestone Cowboy” comes at the end, and I’d just add here what one of our students mentioned after class: that Campbell’s persona isn’t even a Rhinestone Cowboy, at least not yet: he’s just feeling like one, which is even a little sadder than the song was already.

In other news of the flâneur (and yes, I read the sad, would-be rodeo star’s saga as fitting in the tradition of the flâneur), I’ve long wanted to direct readers to the terrific blog Walking Off the Big Apple, a daily log of city walks. The site’s author, Teri Tynes, describes her project as “an homage to the flâneur tradition and to the literary heritage of New York arts and letters.”

Here’s a link to one of her year-in-review posts. You’ll also find plenty of links to NYC lit and culture walks and loads of ideas if you’re itching to get out and strut your stuff.