Brecht’s poem about the exploitative Chicago Wheat Exchange could be applied to the GOP’s Big Beautiful Bill. He also has a poem that describes Trump’s working class supporters who will be screwed.
Monthly Archives: June 2025
Rightwing Justices as the Dursleys
Think of the rightwing SCOTUS justices as Vernon and Petunia Dursley—with Trump as their spoiled kid
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged birthright citizenship, Donald Trump, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, rightwing justices, SCOTUS Comments closed
The Deep Truth of the Christian Story
I describe an exciting article in which two academics argue that the greatest proof of the Christian story lies not in historical testimony but in the power of the story itself.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged atonement, Christ story, Christianity, Dante, incarnation, Joshua Rasmussen, Paradiso, Robin Collins Comments closed
What to Make of Fascist Authors
In which I explore a Lit Hub article arguing that authors and fascists have things in common, which explains why certain authors have turned to the dark side.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Ed Simon, Eduard Limonov, Emily Bronte, Fascism, Gabriele D'Annunzio, Leo Tolstoy, Merchant of Venice, Tempoe of the Golden Pavilion, War and Peace, William Shakespeare, Wuthering Heights, Yukio Mishima Comments closed
Trump: “’Twas a Famous Victory”
Expect MAGA to accept Trump’s account of the Iran bombing that “’twas a great victory” (to quote from Southey’s satiric anti-war poem “After Blenheim”).
No, A.I. Will Not Change How We Read Lit
Will A.I. change how people read lit, as this New Yorker article claims? Uh, no.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged artificial intelligence, Bleak House, Bluesky, Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, Joshua Rothman, Philip Pullman, Richard Hugo, Tobias Smollett, Tobias Wilson-Bates Comments closed
Toxic Masculinity Expressed thru Bombs
The toxic masculinity that may explain why Trump bombed Iran exacts a price on those caught up in it, as Adrienne Rich makes clear.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Knight", "Moon Landing", Adrienne Rich, Donald Trump, Iran attack, toxic masculinity, W. H. Auden Comments closed
How Tennyson Anticipated Trumpism
In this poem written when he was 80, Tennyson expresses disgust as we might today about Trumpism.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged “Locksley Hall-Sixty Years Later", Alfred Lord Tennyson, Iran attack, MAGA, Trumpism Comments closed
Speak in Thy Still Small Voice
19th century religious poet Anna Shipton prefers God’s “still small voice” to louder invitations.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged “Still Small Voice", Anna Shipton, Elijah, Voice in the whirlwind Comments closed
