Angela Carter’s “Infernal Machines of Doctor Hoffman” captures the unreality of the Trump years.
Tag Archives: Donald Trump
Carter Captures Trumpian Unreality
Mike Pence’s One Heroic Moment
I compare Mike Pence with Housman’s mercenaries, who performed their duties more nobly than anticipated.
Comparing Claudius’ and Trump’s Coups
The GOP desire to move on from Trump’s coup attempt is like Claudius wanting to move on from his successful one against Hamlet’s father.
Dryden on Charismatic Demagogues
In Dryden’s Absalom, we see a politician who has Donald Trump’s ability to sway a crowd.
The Second Coming of Trumpism?
Yeats’s “Second Coming” pretty much describes the current GOP, with Trump auditioning to be the rough beast.
Chekhov’s Gun and American Elections
Are stories of rightwing militias carrying AK-47s also carrying Chekhov’s gun? What happens in the next act?
Longing for Consequences
Reading “Washington Square” made me realize how hungry I have been for misbehaving politicians to pay for their bad behavior.
Frozen in the Ice of Indifference
The difference between politicians who care and those who don’t is the difference between Dante’s Purgatory and Inferno.
Jan. 6 Reenacted “Julius Caesar”
In certain ways, January 6 was a reenactment of “Julius Caesar.” Trump supporters, however, were more Cassius than Brutus.

