PBS’s Sanditon leaves Regency Austen behind and moves in a Victorian direction.
Monthly Archives: May 2022
Add the Climate to a Week of Disasters
Mary Oliver’s poem on climate change mixes wonder and sadness.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "On Traveling to Beautiful Places", climate change, Four horsemen of the Apocalypse, Mary Oliver, pollution Comments closed
A Reflection on National Literatures
Monday I wrote recently about the significance of national literatures in the war between Russian and Ukraine (here and here). While many Russians regard the Ukrainian language with contempt—why read the “bullshit” of Ukrainian poet Shevchenko when you could be reading the Russian master poet Pushkin, the speaker in Joseph Brodsky’s “On Ukrainian Independence” says […]
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Giving Birth, a Leap of Faith
In Merton’s poem about the Annunciation, Mary chooses to bring a child into an uncertain world. That leap of faith is an expression of hope.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Annunciation", "Aubade: The Annunciation", Mother's Day, motherhood, Thomas Merton Comments closed
Rhinos Ignore Covid Protocols
Covid-19 isn’t over but people are acting as though it is. This theater historians invokes Ionesco’s “Rhinoceros” to caution us.
Ukrainians See the Russians as Orcs
Ukrainians are calling the Russian invaders “Orcs.” The label is spot on.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Orcs, Ukraine invasion Comments closed
Handmaid’s Tale Comes a Step Closer
We’re a step closer to “The Handmaid’s Tale.” But can find strength from “A Wrinkle in Time.”
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Abortion, GOP, Handmaid's Tale, Madeleine L'Engle, Margaret Atwood, Roe v. Wade, Supreme Court, Wrinkle in Time Comments closed
Ukraine’s Thermopylae–and Our Own
Cavafy’s poem “Thermopylae” comes to mind as we watch the Ukrainian defenders hold off the Russian hoards attacking Mariupol.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Thermopylae", C.P. Cavafy, Justice, Mariupol, Ukraine invasion, virtue Comments closed
On Ramadan and Song of Solomon
A Pakistani student gained special insight into Morrison’s “Song of Solomon” from his Ramadan fasting.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Eid al-Fitr, Ramadan, roots quest, Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison Comments closed
