Don’t Cancel the Classics—We Need Them More Than EverCriticism-“Those who are adamant that love will trump hate, heal the world, and divinize us are not articulating anything new. The Greeks are still singing to us the songs of humanistic love as the spirit that will heal the world.”Paul Krause1/12/2021
General Patton’s Silent NightReflection-“On December 21, 1945—75 years ago today—in the stillness of his waning moments in a German military hospital, General George S. Patton Jr. pondered his life.”Robert Orlando12/21/2020
Ten Novels for Understanding the Modern British IdentityCriticism-“Therefore, in the spirit of diversity and exploration, I have compiled a list of what I see as the ten best novels on modern British identity, to remind us that British identity is not exhausted by the referendum divides…”Daniel McIntyre12/13/2020
A Once-Unnecessary Reminder: Criticism Produces Good WorksCriticism-“My own song ‘Alabama’ richly deserved the shot Lynyrd Skynyrd gave me with their great record. I don’t like my words when I listen to it. They are accusatory and condescending…”Erich J. Prince11/29/2020
Review: Clint Margrave’s “Lying Bastard”Criticism-“Lying Bastard is a work of the zeitgeist. Disgruntled intellectuals. Returning war veterans just beginning their higher education. A school shooting. The fraud of academicians. Societal exploitation.”Paul Krause11/10/2020
A Korean DyadFiction-“Saying that people need to know the objective truth about what goes on Up There, the objective truth about evil places fueled by imported wine and blank consciences.”Patrick Burr10/13/2020
Self-Determination and Philip K. Dick’s “Ubik”Criticism-“The ultimate message it proffers—Ubik the substance, Ubik the book—is one of self-determination despite humanity’s manifest lack of control and certainty.”Patrick Burr10/9/2020
“Gone with the Wind” Isn’t Going AnywhereCriticism-“What is a classic? What is an epic? These two questions loom over any reader of Gone with the Wind (and great literature, more generally).”Paul Krause9/26/2020
The Oedipus Complex of a Nation in FluxCriticism-“Reading it specifically in the context of the current societal struggles and apparently widespread cultural conflicts occurring in the United States today, the myth imbues the reader with a redoubled vigilance.”Patrick Burr9/14/2020
[Give the Man a Name]Fiction-“On fences and poles were the signs and posters of the age. Men with hard eyes and stiff lips; men with mustaches and military hats; women in dresses, sleeves rolled, forearms flexed. The age the man knew not.”Patrick Burr8/18/2020
What “The Merchant of Venice” Has to Say about JusticeCriticism-“Just as it was in Shakespeare’s time, the questions of justice, mercy, and society remain as relevant as ever before, and we have much to learn from the great bard of Anglodom.”Paul Krause7/19/2020
Can We Read Moby Dick?Criticism-“But, as I found myself stumbling in my response to my sister, a more elemental question arose: Can we read Moby Dick?”Chris Augusta1/4/2020