On Literature, Books

  • On Literature, Books

Pleasures in Reading: Edgar Lee Master’s “Spoon River Anthology”

From the "Spoon River Anthology" by Edgar Lee Masters, excerpts and commentary on the experience of its reading

2 years ago
  • On Literature, Books

Tyrannical Imagination: Henry James’ “An International Episode”

A passage from Henry James' novel "An International Episode" displays the tyranny of the imagination

2 years ago
  • On Literature, Books

Suburban Micro-Aggressions: Shirley Jackson’s short story “Flower Garden”

Shirley Jackson's "Flower Garden" will mystify readers expecting horror, but civil discord is in no short supply

2 years ago
  • On Literature, Books

Reading Ulysses’ “Oxen of the Sun” (to oneself, aloud, and just in general)

On the experience, specifically pain, of reading as instanced with reference to the modernist masterpiece "Ulysses" by Irish writer James…

3 years ago
  • On Literature, Books

Fragrant Excerpt from Joyce’s “Ulysses”: 5, Lotus Eaters

One of several forthcoming asides on the book "Ulysses" by James Joyce. Lead us not into temptation.

3 years ago
  • On Literature, Books

“The Silence” by Don DeLillo: Electromagnetic Pulses and Voiceless Narration

Don DeLillo's "The Silence," is a strange novel featuring an electromagnetic pulse and empty narration

3 years ago
  • On Literature, Books

Cynthia Ozick’s novel “Trust”: a 1400-word Summary

A summary of Cynthia Ozick's "Trust", being the story of a peculiar, nameless narrator seeking the reasons for her lack…

3 years ago
  • Reading Journal

Reading well an excerpt from Cynthia Ozick’s novel “Trust”

An excerpted passage from the 1966 novel "Trust" by Cynthia Ozick, dripping with the poetry and squalor of Rimbaud.

3 years ago
  • Reading Journal

Cynthia Ozick’s “Trust”: Exegesis | Tom Hanks on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Ruminations on Cynthia Ozick's knotty, profound prose counterposed to some armchair commentary on Tom Hanks' eminently forgettable appearance on the…

3 years ago
  • On Literature, Books

Satire or Misanthropy? “Solar,” by Ian McEwan

Ian McEwan's 2010 novel "Solar" is a misanthropic retelling of ten years in the life of erstwhile Nobel Prize recipient…

4 years ago