Monthly Archives: July 2014

Broken in Pieces All Asunder

By Robin Bates | Published: July 13, 2014

Flannery O’Connor, like George Herbert, found her Christian faith regularly challenged by deep despair.

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The Return of King James

By Robin Bates | Published: July 12, 2014

Lebron’s return to Cleveland is like Odysseus’ return to Ithaka.

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Austen on Bad Reasons for Getting Married

By Robin Bates | Published: July 11, 2014

In “Pride and Prejudice” Jane Austen systematically explores bad reasons for getting married.

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Raised in Foster Care, Saved by Oates

By Robin Bates | Published: July 10, 2014

Joyce Carol Oates’ Wonderland Quartet provided a lifeline for this woman who grew up in foster care.

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Fences Entrap Rather than Protect

By Robin Bates | Published: July 9, 2014

“Robinson Crusoe” functions as a parable about America’s fear of immigrants.

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“Alice” Shaped Joyce Carol Oates

By Robin Bates | Published: July 8, 2014

“Alice in Wonderland” is the book that changed the life of Joyce Carol Oates.

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Steinbeck Described Anti-Migrant Protests

By Robin Bates | Published: July 7, 2014

The social unrest caused by the flood of immigrants crossing the American border is described in “The Grapes of Wrath.”

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The Evil I Do Not Want Is What I Do

By Robin Bates | Published: July 6, 2014

Spiritual Sunday  In today’s Episcopal service we encounter a passage from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans that I particularly like, in large part because it captures an internal conflict that we can all relate to. It also reminds me of a passage from Anthony Trollope’s The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867). First, here’s St. […]

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World Cup: Some Said It Couldn’t Be Done

By Robin Bates | Published: July 5, 2014

The hackneyed poems of Edgar Guest actually capture the effort put forth by the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team.

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