Literature

Dostoevsky and American Despair: The Penalty of Nihilism 3
- Literature, Philosophy
- February 1, 2024
These chilling words, ringing with despair, come from one of the most striking characters in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 1866 novel Crime and Punishment, Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov: We always imagine eternity as something beyond our conception, something vast, vast! But why must it be vast? Instead of all that, what if it’s one little room, like a
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Poetry in Prose: The Genius of J.R.R. Tolkien 1
- Literature, Featured
- January 22, 2024
Young John Ronald Reuel Tolkien curled up with his favorite book, reading the tale of Sigurd who slew the dragon Fafnir. Schooled at home, Tolkien’s widowed mother taught him Latin and French and grammar, explaining that “green great dragon” was incorrect—it should be “great green dragon.” Tolkien wanted to know why. Language fascinated him. After
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How Quitting a Book Can Be Great for Reading 10
- Literature
- January 17, 2024
I’ve written extensively about the value of reading good books, especially old ones, but I’ve never written about the need to quit books. Yet while there are many good reasons to read books that have stood the test of time, there’s also something to be said for putting a book down. As paradoxical as it
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The Classic Poem That Helped Inspire the ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel 0
- Featured, Entertainment, Literature
- January 4, 2024
One of cinema’s most popular characters is based on a haunting 1799 poem by English Romantic poet William Wordsworth. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes was a movie released in November and based on the novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. Both book and film are prequels to
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‘To Make an End Is to Make a Beginning’: Verses for the New Year 3
- Literature, Featured
- December 28, 2023
Christmas brings us a feast of words and music: songs played 24/7 on some radio stations, classic literature like A Christmas Carol and “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” a stocking full of new children’s books every year along with the classics like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, films enough to watch every day from Advent
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7 Timeless Picture Books for the Christmas Season 0
- Literature, Featured
- December 20, 2023
“Aletheia!” A 7-year-old girl grabs my hands and pulls me through the playing kids toward my church’s stash of books. “Will you read us a story?” The kids at my church enjoy picture books year-round, but—during the holiday season—the stories begin to revolve distinctly around Christmas. Several of these stories are ones I enjoyed when
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