The brain doesn’t distinguish between reading about something and actually experiencing it. This has interesting implications for lit.
Monthly Archives: April 2021
Lit & Nature Light Up Same Parts of Brain
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Defence of Poetry, language, MRI imaging, neurocriticism, Percy Bysshe Shelley Comments closed
Shots That Signal a Promising Future
I’ve just had my second Covid shot, which has me thinking of Alexander Hamilton’s shot in Miranda’s musical. Pip’s cautious optimism about the future also comes to mind.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Charles Dickens, Covid vaccine, COVID-19, founding ideals, Great Expectations, Hamilton, Joe Biden, Lin-Manuel Miranda, optimism Comments closed
Indecipherable Texts of a Magic Spell
Murakami’s “1Q84” has a magical passage about the power of literature.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged 1Q84, Charles Dickens, Haruki Murakami, mathematics, Oliver Twist Comments closed
Fair Mollusk of the Surf and Golden Sand
This Susan Bryant octopus poem does a good job of capturing the creature many of us watched in “My Octopus Teacher.”
Should We Cancel This Children’s Classic?
Should we cancel “Little Black Sambo,” which I loved as a child. I wrestle with the question here.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged cancel culture, Fascism, free speech, Helen Bannerman, Little Black Sambo Comments closed
I, Only I, Must Wander Wearily
While Easter is often celebrated through elaborate rituals, this Wilde poem reminds us not to forget its true meaning.
What a Death to See God Die
Donne’s poem about Good Friday uses astronomical metaphors as he asks God to open his heart.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Good Friday 1613 Traveling Westward", Good Friday, John Donne Comments closed
