A thoughtful Phil Larkin poem about visiting an old country church and what he discovered there.
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Category Archives: Uncategorized
My Time at Sewanee Military Academy
The latest installment of “my life in literature” series, this one involving my high school years in a military academy.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged adolescence, Catcher in the Rye, Great Gatsby, Homer, Iliad, J.D. Salinger, John Milton Comments closed
MAGA News Too Much? Be Mithridates
Housman’s “Terence, This Is Stupid Stuff” provides useful advice for emotionally surviving Trumpism.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Terence This Is Stupid Stuff", A. E. Housman, Greg Olear, MAGA, Trumpism Comments closed
Finn, the Woke King in Beowulf
Frisian king Finn in “Beowulf” is an example of a woke monarch and Beowulf himself works as a positive model. But the poem also points out the potent forces arrayed against them.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged American violence, Beowulf, divided nation, Finn Saga Comments closed
No Kings Day, Callooh, Callay!
Sunday, with its No Kings rallies attracting over seven million participants, was a “frabjous day.”
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Jabberwocky", Lewis Carroll, No Kings ralies, William Kristol Comments closed
My Granddaughter and a Banned Book
Draper’s young adult novel “Blended,” while banned in certain parts of the country, had a healthy impact upon my biracial granddaughter.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Blended, Book banning, Fault in Our Stars, John Green, Looking for Alaska, Sharon Draper Comments closed
Now I Wrestle with Myself
A Michael Dickel poem which captures the deep currents at work in Jacob wrestling with the angel.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Jacob Wrestling", Jacob and the angel, Michael Dickel Comments closed
Childhood in Paris
In my latest “Life in Literature” installment, I recount my book intensive year as a 13-year-old in Paris.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged end of childhood, John Knowles, Paris, Separate Peace Comments closed
The Most Dangerous Game: Wild Pigs
An Outdoor Living article on the fierceness of wild boars brings to mind “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” which features a dramatic boar hunt.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night", Dylan Thomas, hunting, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, wild boars Comments closed