Monthly Archives: June 2014

Spain No Longer a Soccer Colossus

By Robin Bates | Published: June 21, 2014

Spain, which once did bestride the soccer world like a colossus, has been ousted from the World Cup.

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Elizabeth & Darcy, The Perfect Couple

By Robin Bates | Published: June 20, 2014

An explanation as to why we thrill to the Elizabeth-Darcy relationship.

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Into the Mind of a Portrait Painter

By Robin Bates | Published: June 19, 2014

Iain Pears’ “The Portrait” didn’t move me but I liked the observations on art.

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Is Poetry in Decline? Nope

By Robin Bates | Published: June 18, 2014

A New York Times columnist laments the decline of poetry. Here’s why he’s full of it.

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Earth Hath Nothing to Show More Fair

By Robin Bates | Published: June 17, 2014

An early morning bicycle ride in Madison reminded me of Wordsworth’s “Composed upon Westminster Bridge.”

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Principle or Expedience?

By Robin Bates | Published: June 16, 2014

Trollopes “Last Chronicle of Barset” pits principle against expediency in a fascinating struggle.

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Remembering a Father’s Tenderness

By Robin Bates | Published: June 15, 2014

In this poem about his father, Li-Young Lee remembers a tender moment that has led to his own tenderness as an adult.

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U. S. as Prey in Most Dangerous Game?

By Robin Bates | Published: June 14, 2014

America’s soccer squad has an unsettling resemblance to the human prey in “The Most Dangerous Game.”

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Superstition & Power Relations

By Robin Bates | Published: June 13, 2014

To honor Friday’s 13th, here’s how Mark Twain handles superstition in “Huck Finn.”

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