I like this. It comes from Robert Frost: 'a liberal is a man too broadminded to take his own side in a quarrel'. Nothing more to say really. Except to add that Frost is one of those writers that I know I should read more of. (I can feel another resolution taking shape.)
The use of 'apercu' in my title arose simply because I like the sound of the word and it seemed to fit, although my Shorter Oxford English Dictionary insists (on page 85) that it's 'A summary exposition, a conspectus'. Further enquiry (page 407) reveals that 'a conspectus' is 'A comprehensive survey, a synopsis, a digest'. Nonetheless I still like the word and will continue to use it in this context. Indeed, I will steadily compile apercus throughout 2011.
As for the elephant, it's the Hindu deity Ganesh, associated with many things including knowledge, intellect, wisdom. It appeared when I Googled 'apercu'. According to Pliny, elephants stare longingly at the full moon 'waving freshly plucked branches', which makes his description of the the eruption of Vesuvius slightly suspect. I certainly prefer knowing that the elephant symbolises kingship and stability rather than the - again slightly suspect - Aristotelian notion that it represents chastity because of the long gestation period female elephants experience and the consequent reluctance of bull elephants to have sex with them. In Buddhist thinking, when set on top of a pillar, an elephant 'evokes enlightenment'. More like a miracle of animal husbandry and civil engineering I would think, but still a fascinating image.
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