books
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Emily Dickinson is a cornerstone of Western Literature
I intend this short, introductory essay to be a companion to my “Dissecting Dickinson” series in which I analyse (or, as it was, dissect) Dickinson’s poems. Each are linked here: From Blank to Blank —My wheel is in the dark!The Guest is gold and crimson Within Harold Bloom’s The Western Canon there are approximately 800 Continue reading
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From Robert Lowell’s: For Lizzie And Harriet (1973)
If there is a poet with whom I find myself connected to, perhaps more so than any other poet, then it is Robert Lowell. While his Pulitzer winning books of poetry Lord Weary’s Castle (1946) and The Dolphin (1973) are best known among readers (and these are indeed magnificent works) then it is, quite consistently, Continue reading
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Dissecting Dickinson: From Blank to Blank —
This is the third “Dissecting Dickinson” issue, for the previous two, see The Guest is gold and crimson and My wheel is in the dark! of which the links have been provided. Poem 761: From Blank to Blank — dated about 1863 is possibly one of my favourite of Dickinson’s poems, and I share Harold Continue reading
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Where to start with Henry James
Henry James, of whom I presently, and with possibly the greatest literary joy of my life, have read anything and everything there is to read, is by far, one of the best, most refined, most scandalously clever authors, I have had the pleasure of reading. It is no secret by now, I am well aware, Continue reading
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A Short Story: The day I went for a walk with Montaigne in a French village
It was around two years ago; I am sorry to confess I don’t remember the exact date (sometime in mid-July), when I, along with my mentor Michel De Montaigne, went for a contemplative walk in a small village some ten kilometres outside Bergerac. The village, which could be said to be more of a hamlet Continue reading
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In Appreciation of Wallace Stevens’s Poetry
This summer I have spent in a rather mixed topography, from the picturesque, desolate, sunlit, arid deserts, to the watery, mountainous, wooded landscape; from Texas to Copenhagen, from Vienna to Sweden — from Austin’s sprawling music scene to Enchanted Rock’s stone-spotted hills; to a red-coloured, two-storey cabin in the midst of the quiet, Swedish woods; Continue reading
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Read Thoreau’s Walden before it is too late
While the title of this essay may come across as rather dystopic, I feel I can express it with no less urgency nor importance that now, as we are heading into the second quarter of the 21st century, Thoreau’s Walden seems more important than ever. If you are yet to read Walden; this fantastic, beautiful, Continue reading
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Shakespeare’s King Lear, scene 1.1: Full commentary
The Tragedy of King Lear may very well be Shakespeare’s crowning achievement, and possibly the best play written in literary history. Personally, I am divided between King Lear and Hamlet, though in periods Othello and Macbeth will make their appearance, in periods Anthony and Cleopatra or Measure for Measure. Even The Tempest, Twelfth Night or Continue reading
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Defending The Western Canon
It is a tragic realisation that most colleges and universities in the West have gone away from studying, inquiring, and appreciating the importance and stunning beauty of the Western Canon, which, after all, is the backbone of our society — our birth certificate, if you will. Instead the oppression of our most significant authors (see Continue reading
Paradiso 