Tag Archives: feminism

Infodump and Identification: Thinking about Fantastic First Pages with Anne McCaffrey

Posted on August 15, 2017 by

I’m having trouble getting into the (sort of) second Dragonriders of Pern book, Dragonquest. I loved Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonsong, caught up by the protagonist’s heartsore struggle to express her creativity in a world of martial law. In dire threat of the biological terror of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, On Writing, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Women That Changed C.S. Lewis’ Life

Posted on March 8, 2017 by

If your experience of C.S. Lewis is only Mere Christianity, Time magazine covers, or a struggle with Susan Pevensie in Narnia, no doubt your most striking image of Lewis will be that of the Oxford Don in shabby tweed surrounded by old books … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

For My Mother

Posted on February 13, 2017 by

You may have noticed that my posting has hardly been personal over the past couple of weeks. It is a week of difficult anniversaries. February 4th is the day my father and little brother perished in a fire, and last … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

2016: A Year of Reading

Posted on December 29, 2016 by

This time last year I had a sense of the kind of season that 2016 would be, but I did not know the how deeply the experiences of bereavement, family responsibility, and overwork would impact me. While my work has … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Harold Bloom’s “The Western Canon”

Posted on July 11, 2016 by

  Harold Bloom’s The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages was a sensation when it appeared in 1994. Harold Bloom, a curmudgeonly anti-academic ivy league scholar, fills this challenging read with fresh insights on every page. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Reviews, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

From Golgatha to the Gallows: On the Crucifixion of Elie Wiesel (1928-2016)

Posted on July 4, 2016 by

Jewish people have a deeply difficult relationship with the cross. Once a Roman instrument of torture and oppression, the Christian transformation of that symbol brought Jewish people no relief. Racial antisemitism begins in Europe beneath the symbol of that cross. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

Simone de Beauvoir and the Keyspring of the Lord of the Rings

Posted on May 17, 2016 by

If I were to pick a public intellectual least likely to have influenced J.R.R. Tolkien, Simone de Beauvoir may not be the first person I would think of. There’s a good chance, though, that she would make the shortlist. French … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments