Monthly Archives: April 2015

Why Read Lit? Let Me Count the Reasons

By Robin Bates | Published: April 20, 2015

I grapple today about why it is essential to read lit. And what happens to us when we don’t.

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The Quiet Mystery Returns

By Robin Bates | Published: April 19, 2015

In “Primary Wonder” Denise Levertov wonders at the quiet mystery” that “there is anything, anything at all.”

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In Praise of the Liberal Arts

By Robin Bates | Published: April 17, 2015

NYT columnist Nicholas Kristof recently sang the praises of the liberal arts and talked about the vital importance of literature.

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Saving Princesses from the Marriage Plot

By Robin Bates | Published: April 16, 2015

Long the target of feminist critiques, the princess story might have some progressive aspects.

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Mourning the Death of “Captain” Lincoln

By Robin Bates | Published: April 15, 2015

“Oh Captain! My Captain,” mourning the death of Lincoln 150 years ago today, was Whitman’s most popular poem.

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How to View Prejudice in the Classics

By Robin Bates | Published: April 14, 2015

How to handle instances of prejudice in the classics? Let the values battles fly.

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How Fantasy Saves Our Souls

By Robin Bates | Published: April 13, 2015

Great fantasy can always be seen as oppositional, pushing against prevailing modes of thought and opening up portals into new human possibilities.

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Touching the Wounded God

By Robin Bates | Published: April 12, 2015

Malcolm Guite’s “Sonnet for St. Thomas the Apostle” celebrates the urge to touch God.

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The River’s Blood Turned to Stone

By Robin Bates | Published: April 10, 2015

This Scott Bates fable captures the tragedy of California’s drought.

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