On Bach’s Cello Suites, As Played By Yo-Yo Ma

In the first place, I hate actors. They never act like people. They just think they do. Some of the good ones do, in a very slight way, but not in a way… Continue reading →

The Way Man Makes Himself Eternal: Dante, Literature, and the Seventh Circle

TONY WILSON: “Welcome to the Wheel of Fortune. There it is, the wheel that, throughout the centuries, has been used as a symbol for the vicissitudes of life. Boethius himself, in his great… Continue reading →

Reason’s Candlelight Virgil: Emma Becciu Responds About Dante

Emma Becciu, a devoted and erudite reader of Dante (in the original), has responded to my first Dante post in typically brilliant fashion, here.

Joan Acocella on Maleficent, or, Wow, That Wasn’t Even Feminist

I will favor the details of the ballet in its modern versions. -Joan Acocella, “Love’s True Kiss: Maleficent’s Complex Sexual Politics” What’s Wrong With The New Yorker? -Joseph Kugelmass, blog post title Somebody at The… Continue reading →

Beauty and the Beasts: On the beginning of Dante

Explanations incline, by nature, to treachery. They are so full of plausibility that they become completely unhinged. Imagine, for example, your friend singing that song about the ankle bone connecting to the leg… Continue reading →

Graduating classes, or, will the humanities play in Peoria?

Dear readers, Hello! It’s wonderful to have so many new followers and visitors, thanks to the link on “Freshly Pressed.” I do try to answer your comments, so keep writing in. If you’re… Continue reading →