"This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English..."
Note the red communist star on the old schmuck's shirt.
The very old gentleman is a "distinguished research professor of English," according to Wikipedia. He is offering a literary interpretation, which is, indeed, in keeping with his area of expertise. It is not shocking or scandalous: it is the same-old, same-old from people of his sort.
It's funny that the author and/or publisher of the article thought a professor of English was a "scientist."
"This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English..."
Note the red communist star on the old schmuck's shirt.