In “Absolom and Architophel,” Dryden warns against unscrupulous figures exploiting the hysteria following plots like the Paris massacre.
Tag Archives: Terrorism
After Paris: Dryden on Dangers of Hysteria
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Absolom and Architophel, anti-Muslims, Charlie Hebdo, John Dryden, Paris massacre Comments closed
Grendel in Paris
As with other mass killings, “Beowulf” has lessons for the Paris massacre. Defoe and Rabelais, meanwhile, give us insight in the targeted satirical journal “Charlie Hebdo.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Beowulf, Charlie Hebdo, Daniel Defoe, Gargantua, Lucille Clifton, Rabelais, satire, Shortest Way with Dissenters Comments closed
Sir Gawain & the ISIS Beheadings
“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” helps us understand the horror we feel at the ISIS beheadings.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged beheadings, ISIS, Middle East, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Comments closed
Antigone Would Bury Boston Bomber
Sophocles and Homer present compelling cases for granting full funeral rights to the Boston Marathon bomber.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Ajax, Antigone, Boston Marathon bombing, funerals, Homer, Iliad, Odyssey, Sophocles, Tamerlan Tsarnaev Comments closed
Grendel as a Norwegian Christian Fascist
Apparently Anders Breivik was very well read and he mentions George Orwell, Franz Kafka, and Ayn Rand. What I find striking about them on the list is that they all articulate high levels of paranoia.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged 1984, Anders Breivik, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, Franz Kafka, George Orwell, Trial Comments closed
Osama, Obama, and Sam Spade
There’s something about celebrating the killing of someone, even a mass murderer, that leaves me queasy. Exploring the parallel I drew Monday between America and Sam Spade helps me get a better grip on the issue.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Dashiell Hammett, existentialism. Osama Bin Laden, Justice, Maltese Falcon Comments closed
Faith in the Face of Terrorism
Today I recommend Of Gods and Men (2010), an extraordinary French film that I saw last month. It is about a small community of Cistercian monks in rural Algeria who must decide whether to stay or leave in face of rising terrorism. Good Friday is a good day to write about it since it deals with Lenten themes.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Christianity, Film, Islam, Of Gods and Men, Religion Comments closed
Mr. Chips vs. Travis Bickle
Robert DeNiro as Travis Bickle I continue here my discussion of three works that just happened to come together during one evening last week: John Updike’s novel Terrorist, Martin Scorcese’s film Taxi Driver, and George Bernard Shaw’s play Arms and the Man. My question is whether Shaw’s humanism is a sufficient answer to the undercurrent […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Arms and the Man, George Bernard Shaw, Idealism, John Updike, Martin Scorcese, Taxi Driver, Terrorist Comments closed
Updike’s Anatomy of a Terrorist
Last Thursday night I had an overbooked schedule. I was moderating a book club at the local public library on John Updike’s 2006 novel Terrorist (at 7 p.m.). I was in charge of a talkback following a college production of George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man (at 8 p.m.). And I was screening Martin Scorcese’s […]
