In the hands of culture warriors, stories have become weaponized. It’s difficult to figure out how we should fight back.
Tag Archives: Salman Rushdie
On Portia, Milosz, and Pardoning Trump
Should Biden pardon Trump. This article, citing “Merchant of Venice” and a Milosz poem, argues no.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Incantation", Czeslaw Milosz, Dante, Donald Trump, Inferno, Isaiah, Merchant of Venice, mercy, Presidential pardoning power, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Rushdie, a Voice for Reason
In a recent fantasy novel, Rushdie describes the forces that, last Friday, led to an attempted stabbing of the author.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged al-Ghazali, Fundamentalism, Ibn Rushd, Rusdie's stabbing, Terrorism Comments closed
Liberal Arts vs. Authoritarians: Who Wins?
Can the liberal arts counter authoritarianism? I consider an optimistic argument that they can.
Lit as Truth in a Self-Deceiving World
When many are suffering from cognitive dissonance, the truth of literature more important than ever.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Task", Brian Castleberry, cognitive dissonance, Trumpism, William Cowper Comments closed
The Classics Represent a No Bullshit Zone
In a world where fake news threatens to bury us (and prolong the pandemic), literature represents a “no bullshit zone.”
Trump’s Wall, Symbolic or Literal?
Monday Literature majors will find their training useful in understanding why Donald Trump has chosen to shut down the government. It has to do with the difference between the symbolic and the literal. A literal wall makes very little sense, with the $5.5 billion dollars that Trump is demanding from American taxpayers (not from Mexico) […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Beloved, Donald Trump, magical realism, Midnight's Children, symbolic vs literal thinking, Toni Morrison, Trump's wall Comments closed
On the Damage Done by Religious Fanatics
Rushdie’s “Prophet’s Hair” is a humorous look at the damage that can be inflicted by fundamentalism. The observations apply to all kinds of fundamentalism.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged election 2018, Evangelical Christians, Fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalism, Prophet's Hair Comments closed
