In “Prevention of Literature,” Orwell anticipates AI and how authoritarians will attempt to use it–and to ban or rewrite Literature.
Monthly Archives: January 2025
Orwell Foresaw the Dangers of AI
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged artificial intelligence, authoritarianism, George Orwell, Kazuo Ishiguro, Klara and the Sun, Prevention of Literature Comments closed
Red Wind in California
60 mph wind bursts are fueling the fires burning L.A., bringing to mind Chandler’s noir novella “Red Wind.” For him, the wind is the dark wildness at the core of society.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged California wildfires, climate change, Raymond Chandler, Red Wind Comments closed
MAGA Militias and Nazi Collaborators
Kate Atkinson’s “Transcription” involves a mole infiltrating the ranks of Nazi sympathizers. Pro-Publica recently published an account of such a mole in U.S. rightwing militias.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged anti-Semitism, AP3, Big Sky, Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus, Emily Dickinson, Kate Atkinson, Nazi collaborators, Oath Keepers, Protocols of the Elders of Zion, rightwing militias, Started Early Took My Dog, Transcription, When Will There Be Good News? Comments closed
Going Gently into That Good Night–Or Not
In which I pull on Kenyon, Dylan Thomas, Conrad, Chandler, Lawrence and others in an attempt to penetrate the mysteries of dying.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Do Not Go Gentle", "Fern Hill", "In Blackwater Woods", "Let Evening Come", Big Sleep, D. H. Lawrence, death and dyiing, Dylan Thomas, Heart of Darkness, Jane Kenyon, Joseph Conrad, Mary Oliver, Raymond Chandler, Sons and Lovers Comments closed
The Gift That Only You Can Give
Like many Epiphany poems, Jan Richardson’s “For Those Who Have Far to Travel” focuses on the journey.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "For Those Who Have Far to Travel", "Journey of the Magi", Christina Rossetti, Christmas Carol, Jan Richardson, T. S. Eliot Comments closed
Lit Packs a Powerful Punch
My book “Better Living through Lit” this past year was only one of several making the case that literature can be social dynamite.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Beloved, Ben Jonson, Better Living through Literature, book bans, Christopher Marlowe, Dangerous Fictions, Harold Bloom, Hesiod, Homer, Iliad, Lyta Gold, Odyssey, Oscar Wilde, Picture of Dorian Gray, Plato, Toni Morrison, William Shakespeare Comments closed
To Stay Sane in 2025, Read Rasselas
Johnson’s Rasselas is must reading for those worrying about the next four years.
On Election Night 2024, The Tempest
On Election Night 2024, I turned to a subplot in Shakespeare’s “Tempest” to understand what was going on.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Donald Trump, Election 2024, Kamala Harris, Shakespeare, Tempest Comments closed
