One of my students took profound lessons from “When I Heard My Learn’d Astronomer.”
Nick Brown, a very bright philosophy and English double major, reflects on how to live a worthwhile life. An aesthetic approach to life is at the core of his argument.
Posted in Keats (John), Shakespeare (William) | Also tagged "Ode on a Grecian Urn", Albert Camus, As You Like It, Dogen, Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts, existentialism, Fear and Trembling, John Keats, Karl Marx, liberation, Macbeth, Myth of Sisyphus, Soren Kierkegaard, Zen Buddhism | Wallace Stevens’ “Peter Quince” mingles eroticism with spirituality.
At one point, the protagonist of The Elegance of the Hedgehog tackles this blog’s central question: “Of what use is literature?” Renee is a materialist who doesn’t believe in a transcendent reality. For her, literature (and art in general) is a sophisticated biological survival mechanism.
Polish poet, essayist Zbigniew Herbert I was channel surfing last night and saw an old C-Span episode (from 2003, I believe) discussing William Styron’s Confessions of Nat Turner. The author was present (he died in 2006), and I was interested in his contention that his book was all but banned by African American Studies programs […]
St. Mary’s College of Maryland is very excited by our new president, Joseph Urgo, who joins us this week. Among other things, Professor Urgo is a national authority on William Faulkner and Willa Cather. I share with you here an excerpt from his program notes for the College’s Summer River concert series. You’ll understand my […]
