Monthly Archives: April 2012

Dorian Gray – Guilty of “Corrupting” Youth

By expanding the way the same-sex community saw themselves, “Picture of Dorian Gray” was indeed guilty of the charges brought against it.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments closed

Like a Cat Asleep on a Chair, O Lord

In “Pax,” D. H. Lawrence echoes the 23rd Psalm only substitutes a cat for a sheep.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments closed

Major in English, Make Millions

My son Toby, currently a graduate student in English, just sent me this link to a Slate article about Mitt Romney discouraging students from becoming English majors. Here is the paragraph that caught my eye: “You really don’t want to take out $150,000 loan to go into English because you’re not going to be able to […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments closed

The Dead Return to Comfort Us

The Pedro Almodovar film “Volver” explores the longing the love will prove more powerful than death.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments closed

Students, Fling Up Your Windows!

Stephen Vincent Benet has a perfect poem for students worn out from end-of-the-semester studying.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments closed

Shakespeare with a Smart Phone

The plays would have been different if Shakespeare’s characters had had access to social media.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

A Creeping Sense of Entitlement

King Hrothgar in “Beowulf” describes the creeping sense of entitlement that can possess a society’s wealthiest citizens.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments closed

Loose Cannons and the 2008 Meltdown

Victor Hugo’s terrifying description of a loose cannon can be applied to the 2008 financial meltdown.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments closed

The Silver Water Crushes Like Silk

Although not explicitly religious, Mary Oliver has a Good Friday-Resurrection progression in many of her poems, including “Morning at Great Pond.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments closed