Giles Corey from “The Crucible” came to mind when I started experiencing what felt like a heart attack. I’ve been admitted to Washington Hospital Center, but they now think it’s something less drastic (!).
Monthly Archives: September 2017
Handmaid’s Emmy, A Sign of Its Urgency
The Emmys signaled that “Handmaid’s Tale” is as relevant as ever as America’s misogyny deepens. So is Euripides’s “The Bacchae.”
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Bacchae, Donald Trump, Euripides, Feminism, Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, misogyny Comments closed
No Miss Havisham for Hillary
In her account of the 2016 election aftermath, Hillary Clinton resolved not to become a Miss Havisham. This is testimony to her depth of soul.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Charles Dickens, Donald Trump, Great Expectations, Hillary Clinton, Miss Havisham Comments closed
Murakami Explains Lure of Fascism
Murakami’s “Wild Sheep Chase” helps explain why young men are drawn to fascism, as we saw in Charlottesville.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Charlottesville demonstrations, Confederate statues, Haruki Murakami, Heather Heyer, KKK, neofascism, white nationalism, white supremacy, Wild Sheep Chase Comments closed
What Our Favorite Books Reveal about Us
I am having my students compose personal reading histories. Freud provides a useful framework for exploring anxieties and wishes.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Beyond the Pleasure Principle, fort/da game, Norman Holland, psychological approaches, Sigmund Freud Comments closed
Anger in Ancient Greek Works
A new book looks at how the ancient Greeks approached the issue of anger in works such as “Iliad,” “Ajax,” and “Hecuba.
Worshipping Our Lord, the Dollar
Trump is a believer in prosperity theology, which made the news after a Houston pastor initially refused to do more than pray for flood victims. Tolstoy in “Resurrection” has choice words for such men.
Posted in Uncategorized Comments closed
Irma as Milton’s & Dante’s Infernos
If one thinks of a hurricane “eye” as an anus, then the winds from hell take on a different resonance–especially when seen through Milton’s and Dante’s eyes.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Dante, Divine Comedy, Hurricane Irma, hurricanes, Inferno, John Milton, Paradise Lost Comments closed
