Thanks for this very thoughtful piece. I wonder if the lecture could fill the space in our increasingly electronic culture once filled by the personal essay in the more print-driven 20th century. Robertson highlights the value of the way that an individual voice can not only hold our attention for a time, but also use that time to expand the horizon of our attention once the voice has ceased.

I also appreciated your comments about preparation. Do you think, too, that there's something to be said about giving the same lecture several times, and using those opportunities to improve? When I was still in academia, there were a few novels that I taught/lectured/presented repeatedly over a few semesters. Not only was the experience of presenting on them improved by multiple takes, but the response from my students would affect the next time in an evolutionary way.