Monthly Archives: February 2020

Repressed Violence in Southern Gothic Lit

By Robin Bates | Published: February 18, 2020

In my course on American Gothic Supernatural lit, I contrasted “Turn of the Scre”w with “Wizard of Oz” and then glanced at Southern Gothic lit.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Deliverance", Edgar Allan Poe, Eudora Welty, Flannery O'Connor, Good Man Is Hard to Find, Gothic horror, gothic supernatural, Henry James, In Cold Blood, James Dickey, L. Frank Baum, Petrified Man, Rose for Emily, Southern Gothic, Truman Capote, Turn of the Screw, William Faulkner, Wizard of Oz | Comments closed

Coetzee’s “Disgrace” Describes Weinstein

By Robin Bates | Published: February 17, 2020

J. M. Coetzee’s novel “Disgrace” captures the sense of entitlement possessed by men like Harvey Weinstein.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, Disgrace, Harvey Weinstein, J. M. Coetzee, rape and assault | Comments closed

Channeling the Spirit of Washington

By Robin Bates | Published: February 16, 2020

Daniel Webster’s poem longing for a return of George Washington’s spirit may be even more relevant now than it was in 1801.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Washington", Daniel Webster, Donald Trump, founding fathers, John Adams, Thomas jefferson | Comments closed

Literature’s Unique Spiritual Insights

By Robin Bates | Published: February 15, 2020

An extended reflection upon the relationship between religion and literature.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Collar", "Egrets", "Flower", Brothers Karamazov, Flannery O'Connor, Fyodor Dostoevsky, George Herbert, Good Man Is Hard to Find, John Milton, King Lear, literature and religion, Mary Oliver, Paradise Lost, Religion, William Shakespeare | Comments closed

Fingering a Gem beyond Counting

By Robin Bates | Published: February 13, 2020

We can thank imagist poet Amy Lowell for today’s sensuous Valentine’s Day poem.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Audade", Amy Lowell, Valentine's Day | Comments closed

GOP Oath Breakers Inhabit Twilight World

By Robin Bates | Published: February 12, 2020

Only Romney honored his Senate oath in Trump’s trial, inviting comparisons with Thomas More & John Proctor. The other senator? Tolkien’s Dead Men of Dunharrow.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Arthur Miller, Constitution, Crucible, GOP, J. R. R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Man for All Seasons, Robert Bolt, Trump Senate Trial | Comments closed

Books Held to the Chest, Close to the Heart

By Robin Bates | Published: February 11, 2020

Nikki Giovanni celebrates a librarian who underwent humiliation from whites to get her the books she wanted.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "A Poem for My Librarian", libraries, Nikki Giovanni | Comments closed

How Literature Saved Richard Wright

By Robin Bates | Published: February 10, 2020

In his memoir, Richard Wright describes how literature gave him a framework and spurred him to action in the segregated south.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Black Boy, Jim Crow, racism, Richard Wright, segregation | Comments closed

Overcoming the Siren Call of Domination

By Robin Bates | Published: February 9, 2020

A reader suggests that the island enchantresses in “Odyssey” help the hero in his quest for integration.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Carl Jung, emasculation fears, Homer, individuation, Joseph Campbell, Odyssey, Sigmund Freud | Comments closed