Monthly Archives: December 2010

Harry Potter, Teenage Hero’s Quest

By Robin Bates | Published: December 22, 2010

During Christmas week we get to imagine being children again so I’ve decided to write about student responses to Harry Potter.   Members of my British Fantasy Literature class could write essays on any work of fantasy as long as they applied the tools and perspectives we developed in the course. Michelle Steahl and Evan Rowe […]

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

Sir Gawain through the Eyes of a Marine

By Robin Bates | Published: December 21, 2010

One of the most interesting essays I received in my just completed early British Literature survey came from a young Marine. Jon Gott was fascinated by what he calls Camelot’s “band of brothers.” His essay was about how Gawain handles the tests that he is subjected to in the 14th century romance Sir Gawain and […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments closed

Steinbeck’s Agony (A Reminder to Chill)

By Robin Bates | Published: December 20, 2010

My novelist friend Rachel Kranz recently sent me an article by novelist William Kennedy about John Steinbeck’s self-doubts as a writer. She herself has been wrestling with self-doubts, even though she has a completed manuscript of what I think is a remarkable work, and the article lets her know that she is not alone. It […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments closed

What Can I Give Him? Give Him My Heart

By Robin Bates | Published: December 19, 2010

Spiritual Sunday Snow currently blankets southern Maryland as we enter the final days leading up to Christmas, making this the perfect time to print Christina Rossetti’s gorgeous poem, “In the Bleak Midwinter.”I love how it begins with hard and cold images and concludes with a simple gift of the heart. Although God is worshipped by […]

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

Bill Belichick as Professor Moriarty

By Robin Bates | Published: December 18, 2010

Sports Saturday The New England Patriots are dominating the National Football League once again, and as an Indianapolis Colts fan I find this development depressing.  Over the past decade the Colts and Patriots have had the game’s fiercest rivalry, and fans of each team routinely root against whichever team is playing the other.  I am […]

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

Lives Impacted by Film, Part II

By Robin Bates | Published: December 17, 2010

  Film Friday Last Friday I reported that Julia and I were on our way to a dinner with our film group and that we had an assignment: to come up with 3-5 films and explain how they had impacted our lives. The evening was a smashing success, and I recommend the idea to others. […]

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

Midwinter Transformation: A Poem

By Robin Bates | Published: December 16, 2010

A cold snap has hit the American east coast, including Maryland, and we are experiencing what Christina Rossetti calls “bleak midwinter,” with temperatures moving down into the teens. To cheer myself up, I turn to one of my father’s Christmas poems. My father has been writing these poems annually for years. He sends them out […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments closed

Ask Jane: Expert Relationship Advice

By Robin Bates | Published: December 15, 2010

“My idea of good company,” says Anne Elliot in Jane Austen’s Persuasion, “is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation.” To which her cousin replies, “That is not good company, that is the best.” I feel that I have emerged from the best of company as my Jane Austen […]

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

Which Fairy Tale Covers Essay Grading?

By Robin Bates | Published: December 14, 2010

‘Tis the season to be grading, fa la la la la, la la la la.   Last week I treated you to my stories about student essays.  Today you get to hear thoughts on the subject from Jason Blake, our correspondent in Slovenia.  Jason here searches for an archetypal narrative that will do justice to […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments closed