Plato is probably the first author to develop the literary notion of foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is contained in the very opening of his most famous work, The Republic. I want to explore, and explain, Plato’s foreshadowing and why it’s such a clever tactic and one that, when recognized by the reader, enriches the reading of Plato … Continue reading Introduction to Plato: Foreshadowing and Prefiguring
Literature
Introduction to Plato: Platonic Irony and Satire
Plato was one of the great ironists of the ancient world and, in fact, bequeathed to the rest of literary culture the notion of literary irony. What is Platonic irony? Why does it enrich one’s reading of Plato? Why should we be aware of his use of irony and satire? Admittedly, Platonic irony is more … Continue reading Introduction to Plato: Platonic Irony and Satire
A Tale of Two Resurrections
“With a roar that sounded as if all the breath in France had been shaped into the detested word, the living sea rose, wave on wave, depth on depth, and overflowed the city to that point. Alarm-bells ringing, drums beating, the sea raging and thundering on its new beach, the attack begun.” Charles Dickens crafted … Continue reading A Tale of Two Resurrections
Singing of Sodom: John Keats and the Resurrection of Sexuality
John Keats was a romantic poet who died at the age of 25, alone, when he was in Rome. He was a remarkable failure in his own time but grew to prominence after his death. As such, he became a sort of prophet and patron saint of later generations of romantics and his poetry entered … Continue reading Singing of Sodom: John Keats and the Resurrection of Sexuality
The Spectacular Violence of the Greek Gods: Hesiod, Homer, and Greek Theodic Tradition
The decline of cultural Christianity, along with intellectual Christianity, has brought with it a debased Atheism without consciousness, inspiration, or stories. It has also been met by a renewed and vigorous neo-“paganism.” The romantic mind of these new pagans, many associated with the so-called Alt-Right, present the portrait of a redeemed paganism that was—ironically—the product … Continue reading The Spectacular Violence of the Greek Gods: Hesiod, Homer, and Greek Theodic Tradition
Redeeming the Chariot: The War in Heaven in “Paradise Lost”
John Milton’s Paradise Lost is, without argue, one of the triumphs of the Christian imagination. Taking the story of the War in Heaven and giving it detail, especially in Book VI, Milton also makes constant usage of classical and biblical imagery and references to bolster his lively and imaginative retelling. As Raphael tells the story … Continue reading Redeeming the Chariot: The War in Heaven in “Paradise Lost”
Allegory, Irony, and Satire in “Paradise Lost”
John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost is remembered for two things, the famous quote from Satan after having been expelled from Heaven, “Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n,” (i.263) and for creating the fiery depiction of Hell dramatically juxtaposed to the cold and frozen hell of Dante’s Inferno. Milton’s poem, though written … Continue reading Allegory, Irony, and Satire in “Paradise Lost”
The Many Faces of Postmodernism
Postmodernism is back with a vengeance. Celebrated and despised, postmodernism is sometimes cast as the bogeyman of all that is wrong with the modern world or defended as exposing the shallowness of the modern world. Which is it? There are multiple strands of postmodernism. For the sake of brevity, we will examine three; wherein the … Continue reading The Many Faces of Postmodernism
