Category Archives: Literature

ADAPTING GATSBY.

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Philip

ADAPTING GATSBY. I posted here about Gatz, an adaptation of THE GREAT GATSBY in which one of the characters reads aloud all of THE GREAT GATSBY. It’s a wonderful experience, and it is now having a second run at the … Continue reading →

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THE LACK OF PRIMOGENITURE AND THE FALL OF ROME.

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Philip

THE LACK OF PRIMOGENITURE AND THE FALL OF ROME. In Mary Beard’s review in the London Review of Books (April 26) of CALIGULA: A BIOGRAPHY by Aloys Winterling, she says that Augustus failed to create a reliable system of monarchical … Continue reading →

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DID SHAKESPEARE KNOW THE WRITINGS OF HEGEL, MARX, NIETZSCHE, FREUD, WITTGENSTEIN AND DERRIDA?

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Philip

DID SHAKESPEARE KNOW THE WRITINGS OF HEGEL, MARX, NIETZSCHE, FREUD, WITTGENSTEIN AND DERRIDA? Graham Holderness has a review in the Times Literary Supplement (April 20) of SHAKESPEARE AND LITERARY THEORY by Jonathan Gil Harris. The book has chapters for the … Continue reading →

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JESUIT EDUCATIONS.

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Philip

JESUIT EDUCATIONS. When I quoted Virginia Woolf that: ULYSSES was “the book of a self-taught working man….”, I did not point out that Joyce in fact had an excellent Jesuit education. This wikipedia article traces his education—reflected in PORTRAIT OF … Continue reading →

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JOYCE AND VIRGINIA WOOLF (COMMENT).

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Philip

JOYCE AND VIRGINIA WOOLF (COMMENT). When I posted on Virginia Woolf’s view of Joyce, I had been struck by the vehemence of her feelings about the lower classes. Nick and Rebekah posted differing comments about how Virginia Woolf felt about … Continue reading →

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ULYSSES—VIRGINIA WOOLF LIKED THE BOOK, DESPISED THE AUTHOR.

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Philip

ULYSSES—VIRGINIA WOOLF LIKED THE BOOK, DESPISED THE AUTHOR. In the Times Literary Supplement (March 23), J.C has some quotations from Virginia Woolf’s A WRITER’S DIARY which show a startling snobbery in the literary world of 100 years ago. Woolf read … Continue reading →

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“IN THE COUNTRY OF THE BLIND….”

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Philip

“IN THE COUNTRY OF THE BLIND….” When I was young, I read a story (probably abridged) by H.G. Wells in the Reader’s Digest entitled “The Country of the Blind” (this wikipedia article has a summary of it). In the story … Continue reading →

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ANOTHER VOTE ON UMBRIDGE.

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Philip

ANOTHER VOTE ON UMBRIDGE. A few days ago, I showed Annalisa my draft post about my visceral fear of Umbridge. She sent me this link to an image on Pinterest which shows that I am not the only one who … Continue reading →

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THE SCARIEST VILLAIN IN HARRY POTTER?

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Philip

THE SCARIEST VILLAIN IN HARRY POTTER? I looked in on Mary Jane while she was watching THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX again, and it occurred to me that of all the villains in the Harry Potter books, I find Dolores … Continue reading →

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OLIVIER’S INSIGHT ON IAGO’S MOTIVATION.

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Philip

OLIVIER’S INSIGHT ON IAGO’S MOTIVATION. I can’t find it using Google, but long ago I read an interview with Olivier about Iago’s motivation. Olivier said that when he was young, he had trouble playing Iago because he could not understand … Continue reading →

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