Monthly Archives: September 2017

The Crushing Pain of a Heart Episode

By Robin Bates | Published: September 20, 2017

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 (!).

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Handmaid’s Emmy, A Sign of Its Urgency

By Robin Bates | Published: September 19, 2017

The Emmys signaled that “Handmaid’s Tale” is as relevant as ever as America’s misogyny deepens. So is Euripides’s “The Bacchae.”

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No Miss Havisham for Hillary

By Robin Bates | Published: September 18, 2017

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.

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Rosh Hashanah: How To Make It New

By Robin Bates | Published: September 17, 2017

Spiritual Sunday – Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah begins on Tuesday, giving me an excuse to share this stimulating poem by Rachel Barenblat, keeper of the wonderfully named Velveteen Rabbi blog. The Jewish New Year, as you probably know, celebrates the day of creation, and people take the opportunity to examine their lives over the past year and repent. […]

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Murakami Explains Lure of Fascism

By Robin Bates | Published: September 15, 2017

Murakami’s “Wild Sheep Chase” helps explain why young men are drawn to fascism, as we saw in Charlottesville.

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What Our Favorite Books Reveal about Us

By Robin Bates | Published: September 14, 2017

I am having my students compose personal reading histories. Freud provides a useful framework for exploring anxieties and wishes.

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Anger in Ancient Greek Works

By Robin Bates | Published: September 13, 2017

A new book looks at how the ancient Greeks approached the issue of anger in works such as “Iliad,” “Ajax,” and “Hecuba.

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Worshipping Our Lord, the Dollar

By Robin Bates | Published: September 11, 2017

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.

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Irma as Milton’s & Dante’s Infernos

By Robin Bates | Published: September 11, 2017

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.

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