The anger of John Barton in Elizabeth Gaskell’s 1848 novel “Mary Barton” resembles the anger of many Trump supporters.
Tag Archives: politics
Climate Inaction Will Lead to a Dystopia
If we refuse to do anything to counteract climate change, we are doing grave injustice to our children and grandchildren. Russell Hoban’s post-apocalyptic fantasy “Riddley Walker” captures the selfishness that we would be guilty of.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged apocalypse, climate change, climate change denialism, global warming, GOP, Riddley Walker, Russell Hoban Comments closed
Speaker Paul Ryan in Literature
I’ve written a lot about Paul Ryan and his aspiration to be a John Galt figure. Now that he is Speaker of the House, I review other literary parallels I’ve drawn over the years.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Alice in Wonderland, Ayn Rand, Chinua Achebe, GOP, Hard Times, Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, Lewis Carroll, Oliver Twist, Paul Ryan, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Things Fall Apart, Thomas Hardy Comments closed
Jeb! Agonistes: An Unsettling Parallel
Does Jeb Bush resemble at the moment Samson Agonistes? His rivalry with Marco Rubio also resembles any number of Shakespeare tragedies. There’s an Oedipus parallel as well.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged 2016 election, GOP, GOP primary, Henry IV Part II, Jeb Bush, John Milton, Joseph Campbell, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, Marco Rubio, Oedipus, Samson Agonistes, Sophocles, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Cruz as Beowulf? Try Grendel
Thursday Normally I would be delighted with a New York Times article that matched up presidential candidates with works of literature, such as Ted Cruz with Beowulf, Hillary Clinton with Persuasion, and Bernie Sanders with Around the World in 80 Days. This piece, however, strikes me as so uninformative that it’s all but useless. I’ve tried […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Around the World in 80 Days, Beowulf, Bernie Sanders, Carla Fiorina, Charles Dickens, Democrats, Donald Trump, Election 2016, GOP, Hillary Clinton, Huckleberry Finn, Jane Austen, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Jules Verne, Mansfield Park, Marco Rubio, Mark Twain, Mike Huckabee, Oliver Twist, Persuasion, Rand Paul, Tale of Two Cities, Ted Cruz Comments closed
Lit vs. the Evils of History–More Debate
While literature can seem helpless in the face of history’s cataclysms, it proves far more durable than the events that seem to overwhelm it.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Alexander the Great, Don Quixote, Homer, Iliad, Miguel de Cervantes, W. H. Auden Comments closed
Ryan as John Galt–Elect Him or He Shrugs
Paul Ryan sees himself as Ayn Rand’s John Galt as he puts forth the conditions on which he will accept the Speakership of the House. The problem is that he is dealing with people who also see themselves as John Galt.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, Congress, GOP, Paul Ryan Comments closed
Waiting for Biden, Paul Ryan, & Reagan
Some Democrats are waiting for Joe Biden and many Republicans are awaiting the reincarnation of Ronald Reagan. Samuel Beckett foresaw in all in “Waiting for Godot.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Democrats, Freedom Caucus, GOP, Joe Biden, Paul Ryan, Republicans, Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot Comments closed
Trump, Prince Vasili, and Pure Cynicism
Prince Vasili in “War and Peace” will say anything to come out on top. He’s a lot like Donald Trump.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Donald Trump, Gulliver's Travels, Hillary Clinton, Jonathan Swift, Leo Tolstoy, Marco Rubio, politicians, War and Peace Comments closed
