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The Sin of Oedipus
This week, by a strange twist of fate, I have been completely immersed in ancient Greek literature. None of my classes are in the Classics department, and only one is a straightforwardly literary course; but in all but one class this week has been the week to delve into ancient Greece. (The sole exception is… more »
Poets, Philosophers, and Beauty
If there is a war between reason and imagination, the first volley was fired by Plato, who famously decreed that poets were to be thrown out of his ideal city. This would be understandable if he were speaking only of the Greek equivalent of trashy romance novels; but he prohibits even Homer, who he admits… more »
A Wrinkle in Time and other books
It’s always delightful to revisit books from my childhood. There is a security, a wholesomeness, in extremely good children’s books that can be matched by very few other literary works. Recently, I have been reading A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door, by Madeleine L’Engle. She was a Christian novelist very much… more »
Heaven and Hell at the Louvre
One of the luxuries of winter break is having time to go to museums. Yesterday, I saw an exhibit of masterpieces borrowed from the Louvre. The two works that stood out to me in particular almost accidentally faced each other. Both were moving, but for very different reasons—one as stark expression of the conformity of… more »
Sleep No More
If you live in the Boston area and you have a strong constitution, you ought to see Sleep No More, the American Repertory Theater’s adaptation of Macbeth. The story is Macbeth; but the experience is nothing like sitting down in a traditional theater—nothing so safe. Instead, you are taken into a huge, abandoned school building… more »
In the Name of the Lord
Joseph Haydn was not a genius, Professor Robert Levin told our class. He was not born with the automatic brilliance of a Mozart or a Beethoven. He did not have a first-rate musical education or money enough to practice at leisure. He was simply a decently good, hardworking musician who was devoted to God.
Every morning,… more »
The Beauties of Temptation
Adultery is a great evil. This is an inescapable conclusion. And it is not a new conclusion to me—every reading of the Ten Commandments, every discussion of marriage, every clear-sighted scrutiny of our culture’s signature ills serve to drive home the point. Never mind how many times I had heard, from all sorts of sources,… more »
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