Chaucer’s Wife of Bath and Mary Oliver both have interesting takes on the loaves and fishes story. Their two interpretations are not as far apart as it first seems.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Chaucer & Mary Oliver on Loaves and Fishes
Race Politics and the Greek Classics
In a Atlantic article, Adam Serwer exposes the racists who attack Nolan’s “Odyssey” for not being white enough.
Lit Studies a Hotbed of Radicalism? Nah
In which I take on a report accusing humanities and English professors of being too political.
Nolan’s Odyssey—The Book Is Better
In which I contrast Homer’s Odyssey with Chris Nolan’s, concluding that I like the book better.
A Novel about Being Swallowed by Social Media
In Patricia Lockwood’s novel “No One Is Talking about This,” the narrator starts off believing that everything is in play and nothing really matters. Then reality strikes.
Normalizing DJT’s Assaults on Democracy
A Brecht poem captures how the press tried to ingratiate itself with the president at the recent White House Correspondents dinner.
The Spell in Every Seashell
In Matthew Jesus at one point compares the kingdom of heaven to a pearl of great price. Hilda Doolittle takes up the image in “There is a spell in every sea-shell.”
ICE, the Summoning Dark, and Sam Vimes
In Commander of the Watch Sam Vimes, Terry Pratchett gives us a positive model for countering “the Summoning Dark” that has overtaken segments of America.

