As the year began to close, I ventured into the world of epic poetry—and what a beautiful thing it has been! With many thanks to Homer's Odyssey and Milton's Paradise Lost, I finally learned what it was like to sail through the mythological, monster-ridden Mediterranean Sea and to fly on the wings of angels, whirling through space and… Continue reading Literary Wisdom: “Inferno” by Dante Alighieri
Category: Literary Wisdom
On the Death of Frankenstein
When I was first assigned Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, I couldn't think why that could be. Mind you, my teachers were and are exceptionally nice, but horror? The kind made up of nothing but virtually inaccessible laboratories covered in toxic fumes, containing nothing but the maddest and most unearthly fashion of men? Screams of "Aaaah!", "It's alive!", and… Continue reading On the Death of Frankenstein
Literary Wisdom: Hercule Poirot Mysteries
Though Father Brown reignited my love for the literary mystery genre, Hercule Poirot fanned that spark into a lasting flame. Agatha Christie’s conceited little Belgian gentleman, constantly finding something to straighten and thus defy the Second Law of Thermodynamics, always manages to win my heart more thoroughly in every book that I read.
Literary Wisdom: The Deerslayer
James Fenimore Cooper's The Deerslayer is the most charming and profound frontier story that passed before my eyes. Though I would not be surprised if the novel is one of the lengthiest and most drawn-out in the genre, Cooper managed also to instill lessons of integrity, deception, and natural beauty into the genre that is usually characterized… Continue reading Literary Wisdom: The Deerslayer
Literary Wisdom: The Scarlet Letter, Part Two
This post is a continuation of the first Scarlet Letter post. If you'd like to read that one first, please click here. Also, please Google a summary of the novel if you have not read it already...I apologize for not explaining the plot beforehand. Thank you! In our last post, we discussed five key quotations from Hawthorne's The… Continue reading Literary Wisdom: The Scarlet Letter, Part Two
Literary Wisdom: The Scarlet Letter, Part One
Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is one of the most dreaded books teens are forced to read in high school. It's made up of everything modern society doesn't like—rambling sentences; an excessively drawn-out plot; mystical, enigmatic symbolism; and early modern English dialogue (think Shakespeare, with "thou" and "dost"). On top of that, Hawthorne occasionally has some...interesting "theology." Yet… Continue reading Literary Wisdom: The Scarlet Letter, Part One
My Favorite Hawthorne Short Stories
Hello, everyone— Hawthorne* is one of my all-time favorite American authors. Cultivated in the midst of unbelievable growth in our nation's literature (this era known as the Romantic period), inspired by the Christian heritage of his Puritan ancestors, Nathaniel Hawthorne rose to fame as the author of The Scarlet Letter and as the greatest spokesman against transcendentalism… Continue reading My Favorite Hawthorne Short Stories
Literary Wisdom: Father Brown Mysteries, Part Two
"'What we all dread most,' said the priest in a low voice, 'is a maze with no centre. That is why atheism is only a nightmare.'" ~Father Brown, "The Head of Caesar" Within the vast majority of beliefs and traditions in this world lies a needlessly complicated mess. The core of both modern and old religions exactly… Continue reading Literary Wisdom: Father Brown Mysteries, Part Two
Literary Wisdom: Father Brown Mysteries, Part One
I never thought I'd willingly pick up another mystery book for the rest of my life until I met Father Brown. As a child, I loved mysteries, and would read everything from The Stolen Sapphire to Maureen the Detective to Nancy Drew. When I hit middle and high school, though, I was introduced to Doyle's Holmes and Poe's Dupin, and… Continue reading Literary Wisdom: Father Brown Mysteries, Part One
Literary Wisdom: Henry V, Acts 4 & 5
Thus far in our study of Shakespeare's Henry V, we have covered the first three acts as well as a prayer Henry V gave before the Battle of Agincourt. We have sympathized with the king as his father died; we have seen him execute justice; and we have seen him grow in both his faith and… Continue reading Literary Wisdom: Henry V, Acts 4 & 5
