Keys to a good life
How do you lead a good life? That seemingly simple question has preoccupied and perplexed mankind for centuries. For author and historian Jill Lepore, one key to fulfillment involves poring over old manuscripts and dusty correspondence and emerging with a compelling, enlightening story to share. “As a reader, I find no explanation more satisfying than a historical explanation, especially if it’s completely cluttered, overwhelmingly cluttered, with evidence,” said Lepore, Harvard’s David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History and a staff writer for The New Yorker, via email. “I love trying to find that kind of explanation in the archives, and then writing an essay, or giving a lecture, that offers that explanation in the form of a story.” She wrote, speaking more broadly, that her life goals include “to do good, quietly, and to hold beauty dear.” Lepore was one of three Harvard scholars who offered their insights into what personal fulfillment...