Early in Mark, Jesus’s family thinks he is insane–but sanity, as Wendell Berry notes in “Manifesto: Man Farmer’s Liberation Front,” is sometimes overrated.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Manifesto: Mad Farmer Liberation Front", Jesus's family, Wendell Berry | Comments closed

Happy Marriages Are NOT All Alike

By Robin Bates | Published: June 6, 2024

For my wedding anniversary, I turn to my favorite literary couple: Levin and Kitty in “Anna Karenina.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Anna Karenina, Birth, death and dying, Leo Tolstoy, Marriage | Comments closed

For Pride Month, An Awakening

By Robin Bates | Published: June 5, 2024

Wade’s poem “When I Was Straight” describes a literal awakening that foreshadows a literal awakening.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "When I Was Straight", Julie Marie Wade, Lesbian love, LGBTQ, Pride Month | Comments closed

Gulliver Reminds Us of Civic Virtue

By Robin Bates | Published: June 4, 2024

Is civic virtue becoming a relic of the past? Gullliver’s Travels can help keep it alive.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged civic virtue, Donald Trump, GOP, Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift | Comments closed

On Portia, Milosz, and Pardoning Trump

By Robin Bates | Published: June 3, 2024

Should Biden pardon Trump. This article, citing “Merchant of Venice” and a Milosz poem, argues no.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Incantation", Czeslaw Milosz, Dante, Donald Trump, Inferno, Isaiah, Merchant of Venice, mercy, Presidential pardoning power, Salman Rushdie, William Shakespeare | Comments closed

“Spare Your Country’s Flag,” She Said

By Robin Bates | Published: June 2, 2024

With the recent furor over the Alitos’ insurrectionist flags, it’s worth revisiting Whittier’s poem “Barbara Frietchie,” also about a flag.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Barbara Frietchie", American flag, Clarence Thomas, insurrectionist flags, John Greenleaf Whittier, Samuel Alito, SCOTUS | Comments closed