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 […]
Tag Archives: politics
Moving beyond August Madness
Alexander Pope, taking his cue from the Roman poet Juvenal, knew what a crazy month August could be. In The Dunciad the end of civilization occurs in August, coinciding with the rise of the “dog star” Sirius: Now flam’d the Dog Star’s unpropitious ray, Smote ev’ry brain, and wither’d every bay [poet]; Sick was the […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Spring", "Strange Gathering", Christianity, Cordoba Institute, Islam, Religion, Rumi Comments closed
Seductive Balzac in Communist China
Sometimes, it seems, we have to be deprived of literature to learn how powerful it is and how much we need it. Yesterday a colleague wrote about a former Chinese student of hers who, along with other Young Pioneers, discovered a secret treasure trove of books from the west during the dark days of the […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Communism, Dai Sijie, Frederick Engels, Karl Marx Comments closed
Lit vs. China’s Cultural Revolution
Sometimes, it seems, we need to take a step out of our own liberal society to remind ourselves just how precious the classics are. During last year’s protests in Iran, I wrote a series of posts (starting with this one) on the potential for literature to be a force for liberation. Barbara Beliveau, a member […]
The (Out of Control) Passion of Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson in Braveheart Film Friday Mel Gibson is in the news again with recorded rants against his girlfriend that are so vicious that even his ardent supporters are backing away. (You can learn about, and even listen to, the rants here but I advise caution.) I’ve never been a Gibson fan and this website […]
And Universal Darkness Buries All
Yesterday I talked about irresponsible political commentators and politicians and how they reminded me of the scribblers that John Dryden was worried about in the 1680’s. In the 1740’s Alexander Pope was even more pessimistic about the threat they posed. In The Dunciad he imagines an inevitable cultural slide until “universal darkness buries all.” Harold […]
Enough Already, Rush, Glenn, Shadwell!
Last week when I complained about Christopher Hitchens, I think I was reacting as much to the incessant chatter of pundits as to Hitchens himself. At present there appear to be non-stop voices competing with each other to see who can make the most outrageous claims or confrontational statements, whether on talk radio, cable television, […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Alexander Pope, Dunciad, Glenn Beck, John Dryden, Mac Flecknoe, Rush Limbaugh, satire, Talk Shows Comments closed
