Tyranny of Cute

Whether she is admonishing our tendency to trivialize all things great and small (“Down With the Tyranny of Cute,� Commentary, March 24) or reminding us diet-conscious Shakespeare fans that “there’s a divinity that shapes our ends,� Jenijoy La Belle, Caltech professor of literature cum occasional columnist for The Times, is herself a literary treasure. What joy it is to turn to the bottom of an otherwise tragedy-laden Commentary page to find another of her articles.

WILLIAM STRAUB

Pasadena