226th anniversary of the u. S. Constitution and i am reminded of vindication on the 200th anniversary, when the nation magazine asked novelist el doctorow to read the constitution from start to finish in right of his reactions. Didnt enjoy the assignment. Is 5000 words long, but reads like 50,000 he said. Alexei erdrich and shows not a trace of wit. He uses none of the troops of literature to create an pathetic state of mind of the reader. Those of you whove read the work now that he is one of our finest writers and understands American History very well. But this occasion i think you missed the story. For one thing, he missed a third of the constitution, which is 7500 words long. Apparently he quit when he got to the end of the original power. Under the common american misconception that the amendments dont count. Even reading the 1787 document, kia i think missed some truly high rhetoric, some literary trope and may be no wait, but a certain amount of irony. Like at doctorow, america