Tag Archives: Rape

Could “Dover Beach” Deter a Rape?

In McEwan’s “Saturday,” the poem “Dover Beach” prevents a rape and possibly a murder.

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Glück on Teen Sex, Rape, and Persephone

Louise Gluck, who died last week, has a fascinating poem about Persephone that explores difficult issues of teen sex.

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Glück: Teen Sex, Rape and Persephone

Louise Glück’s “Persephone the Wanderer” is a nuanced exploration of teenage sex and rape that goes in some unexpected directions.

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Teach Chaucer to Address Sexual Assault

Thursday I’ve been talking with Idaho English teacher Glenda Funk, who is proposing a panel for the upcoming NCTE convention (National Council of Teachers of English) on teaching literature in ways that make a tangible difference in students’ lives.  After I mentioned how The Wife of Bath’s Prelude and Tale foreground issues of sexual assault, […]

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Hardy Understood Sexual Predators Well

“Tess of the d’Urbervilles” is a prescient account of how sexual predators operate. It is no less relevant today in the age of Donald Trump and Harvey Weinstein than it was in 1892.

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Women vs. Unicorns in Poker, on Dates

In an blog post on the difficulties of handling male aggression, novelist Rachel Kranz looks at male behavior at poker tables, the mythology of virgins taming unicorns, and the rape perpetrated by Stanford swimmer Brock Turner.

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An English Teacher as Tess

Lily King’s novel “English Teacher” is a profound meditation on how a trauma victim may view “Tess of the d’Urbervilles.”

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No-Name Women vs. Anti-Abortionists

Maxine Hong Kingston’s “No Name Woman” works as a powerful response to those attempting to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate rape.

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“Leda and the Swan”–Warning Necessary?

Yeats’ “Leda and the Swan” contains a disturbing description of a rape. Should teachers issue warnings before teaching it?

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