In his latest novel, Pullman shows the dangers of a world that turns its back on the imagination.
Tag Archives: materialism
Pullman’s Resounding Fantasy Defense
Salomé: Material Girl in a Material World
Wilde’s “Salomé” is the story of a material girl trapped in a material world.
The Otherworldly Cry of the Loon
Nemerov’s “Loon’s Cry” searches for the transcendent in our world.
D. H. Lawrence: People in Thrall to Things
D. H. Lawrence’s story “Things” features, among other things, a returning ex-pat couple trying to figure out what to do with all their things. I’m currently sympathetic with their predicament.
Filling Our Houses with Stuff
As I sort through decades of clutter in preparation to move to a smaller home, I am reminded of L. Frank Baum’s Oz book about bric-a-brac.
Black Friday: Don’t Just Shop
Black Friday’s shopping frenzy can prompt us to forget the spiritual origins of gift-giving. Leslie Marmon Silko helps us see beyond the glitter.
Does Moby Dick Await Us?
Is America headed for the same fate as the Pequod?
Marilyn Monroe Died for Our Sins
Ernesto Cardenal poem “Prayer for Marilyn Monroe” sees the actress sacrificed on the altar of our own longings.

