If you’ve been paying any attention to America’s budget battles, you know that Congressional Republicans are currently engaged in a dangerous game of chicken with President Obama over raising the debt ceiling. Today’s post on the subject features a parallel with Macbeth and a glance at famous literary sneers.
Tag Archives: Emily Bronte
Elena Kagan, Lover of Pride and Prejudice
Greer Garson as Elizabeth Bennett Elena Kagan, current nominee for the U. S. Supreme Court, is a “literature lover” who used to reread Pride and Prejudice every year. So we are informed by a fascinating New York Times profile. Does this tell us anything about what kind of justice she will be? I wrote last year […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Elena Kagan, Jane Austen, politics, Pride and Prejudice, Supreme Court Comments closed
Uncomfortable Books that Help Us Grow
Streep and Kline in Sophie’s Choice A recent survey of the Tea Party movement has revealed that the movement is overwhelmingly white, educated, middle class and conservative, and people are now studying what it all means. I love this post Ta-Tehisi Coates, a senior editor for The Atlantic. As occurs in the world of the […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Aruhdhati Roy, Diversity, God of Small Things, Human Stain, Native Son, Philip Roth, politics, racism, Richard Wright, Sophie's Choice, Tea Party, William Styron, Wuthering Heights Comments closed
Fantasy: Help or Hindrance?
My friend Alan Paskow, who is struggling with cancer, queried me about my post on Alfred Noyes’ “The Highwayman,” wondering whether the poem wasn’t just an insubstantial fantasy. I’ve been writing about The Lord of the Rings as a fantasy perhaps indulged in by a World War I veteran who wasn’t willing to face up […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged adolescence, Catcher in the Rye, Charlotte Bronte, fantasy, J. D. Salinger, J. R. R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings Comments closed
