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
Category: Literary Wisdom
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
Literary Wisdom: Henry V’s Prayer
Note: You may recall that in the first "Literary Wisdom" post for Henry V, I stressed the Christian side of the king. While Shakespeare certainly portrays him that way, the more I look into history and literary criticism of the play, I find that the line between "Christian" and "unsaved" as regarding King Henry is blurred,… Continue reading Literary Wisdom: Henry V’s Prayer
Literary Wisdom: Henry V, Acts 1, 2, & 3
He was a king who pursued righteousness. He was a man who united England and France during the Hundred Years' War. He was a leader who honored and loved his men as himself. He was Henry V. It is a story of a search for self, of a test of faith. Henry’s father had just… Continue reading Literary Wisdom: Henry V, Acts 1, 2, & 3
Literary Wisdom: Mansfield Park’s Fanny Price
"...I am acquainted with no more charming figure in fiction than Fanny; she is so completely, perfectly, deliciously feminine in instinct, feeling, manner, and intelligence, and in every way a most engaging revelation of a budding womanliness...Jane Austen certainly accomplishes the delineation of the character of Fanny with a fascinating, unobtrusive fidelity to feminine nature,… Continue reading Literary Wisdom: Mansfield Park’s Fanny Price
Literary Wisdom: Mansfield Park and the Pastoral Ministry
"Beginning with its sharply satiric opening sentence, 'Mansfield Park' deals with money and marriage, and how strongly they affect each other. Shy, fragile Fanny Price is the consummate "poor relation." Sent to live with her wealthy uncle Thomas, she clashes with his spoiled selfish daughters and falls in love with his on. Their lives are… Continue reading Literary Wisdom: Mansfield Park and the Pastoral Ministry
Literary Wisdom: To Kill a Mockingbird, Part Two
This is the last post of the "Literary Wisdom: To Kill a Mockingbird" blog series. If you'd like to read the previous post, you can do so here. Thank you! "She knew full well the enormity of her offense, but because her desires were stronger than the code she was breaking, she persisted in breaking it.… Continue reading Literary Wisdom: To Kill a Mockingbird, Part Two
Literary Wisdom: To Kill a Mockingbird, Part One
To Kill a Mockingbird is the Uncle Tom's Cabin of the twentieth century. In our national consciousness it stands for equality, for freedom, for peace and innocence just as boldly as Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel. Yet To Kill a Mockingbird still retains an identity of its own, apart from Uncle Tom. It is written with nostalgic in… Continue reading Literary Wisdom: To Kill a Mockingbird, Part One
