In this blog post, we’ll explore the spirit and significance of French classicism, focusing on Corneille’s masterpieces, ‘Le Cid’ and ‘Horace’. You’ve probably heard the saying, “Read the classics.” What comes to mind when you hear that? Chances are, you’ll picture old, antiquated books. You probably interpret it to mean that you should read books that people have...
How did Lawrence, the miner’s son, depict the decline of Western civilization through the women he fell in love with?
In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at the life of Lawrence—who was born the son of a miner and channeled his pain and inner conflict into his writing—and, in particular, examine the sharp insights into Western civilization, war, and love conveyed by the women he loved. A Miner’s Son Becomes a Writer Lawrence was born in 1885 in Eastwood, a coal-mining village in Nottinghamshire...
How did Jonathan Swift use ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ to denounce war and Britain’s colonial rule over Ireland?
In this blog post, we’ll examine how Swift’s aversion to war and his criticism of the colonization of Ireland were embodied in the cynical satire of ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ through an exploration of his life and literary background. Life and Early Background Jonathan Swift was born on November 30, 1667, in Dublin, Ireland. Swift attributed his birth there to chance, identifying...
Why did Virgil’s ‘Aeneid’ build upon the ‘Iliad’ and ‘Odyssey’ to create the founding myth of Rome?
In this blog post, we’ll examine how Virgil, through the ‘Aeneid’, drew upon Homer’s ‘Iliad’ and ‘Odyssey’ to transform the fall of Troy into the founding narrative of Rome. In Search of the ‘Aeneid’ After reading the ‘Iliad’ and the ‘Odyssey’ and then encountering the ‘Aeneid’, it’s easy to assume that the...
Why Did Yerofeyev’s ‘Train from Moscow to Petushki’ Become a Classic of Soviet Literature?
In this blog post, we’ll explore how the formal ingenuity of this work—which spread through samizdat—and Yerofeyev’s tumultuous life intertwined to create the utopia of Petushki. The Work and First Impressions To most readers, the name Benedict Vasilyevich Yerofeyev (1938–1990) and the title ‘The Train from Moscow to Petushki’ will likely feel somewhat unfamiliar. While Moscow...
How does Antonio Muñoz Molina’s ‘The Polish Cavalry’ intertwine personal memory with modern Spanish history?
In this blog post, using Mahina as a setting, we explore how generational memories and silences shape individual identities and narratives in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, through the narrative structure and main characters of ‘The Polish Cavalry’. Overview of the Author and Work Antonio Muñoz Molina is an author who began his career in earnest in the late 1980s and...
Why does Stendhal’s ‘The Red and the Black’ use the rise and fall of Julien Sorel to expose the social ills of 1830s France?
In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at how Stendhal’s ‘The Red and the Black’ reveals the social injustices and class conflicts of the late Restoration period through the ambition and tragedy of Julien Sorel. About the Author, Stendhal Stendhal’s real name was Marie Henri Beyle. “Stendhal” was merely one of the approximately 170 pen names he used; he chose this...
How does Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda capture the truth of Germanic mythology?
In this blog post, I’ll briefly summarize how the origins and structure of the Prose Edda, combined with skaldic poetry and the historical context of Snorri’s time, worked together to preserve and pass down Germanic mythology. What is the Prose Edda? This book, commonly translated as ‘The Prose Edda’, was written by the medieval Icelandic scholar and poet Snorri Sturluson...
What Do Rilke’s Life and Works Tell Us?
In this blog post, I’ll summarize Rainer Maria Rilke’s life and literary journey, as well as the significance of his short story collection ‘Stories of a Beloved God’. Rilke’s Life and Literature Rainer Maria Rilke was born on December 4, 1875, in Prague. At the time, Prague was the capital of German Bohemia. His father, Josef Rilke, was a man of modest character who worked for...
Laughter in the Renaissance and Liberation: Reading Rabelais’s ‘Gargantua’
In this blog post, we’ll examine François Rabelais’s masterpiece ‘Gargantua’, focusing on the preparation required of the reader, the meaning of the laughter contained within the work, and how the historical context shapes that meaning. Rabelais’s ‘Gargantua’ and the Demand for Laughter If you’re getting ready to open ‘Gargantua’, you’d better be...