In this blog post, focusing on Ford’s ‘The Good Soldier’, I will analyze the nine-year friendship and betrayal among four people that began with a chance encounter in Nauheim; the epistemological crisis stemming from the conflicts between Edward, Florence, Leonora, and Nancy; and how the sensual aesthetics and surface beauty that permeate the work amplify its tragic nature. ...
Peter Handke and the Reconstruction of Postwar German Literature: Focusing on ‘The Left-Handed Woman’
In this blog post, I will examine the changes in postwar German literature following World War II and explore the role Peter Handke has played in expanding his literary universe within that context. Changes in Postwar Literature and Peter Handke The changes in the literary world over the thirty-odd years following World War II surpassed those that had taken place over the preceding...
What Do the Two Faces of the Sun Tell Us?
In this blog post, we’ll examine the emotions and symbolism associated with the sun—a recurring motif in Albert Camus’s works—with a particular focus on Meursault, the protagonist of ‘The Stranger’. The sun plays a dazzlingly central role in Albert Camus’s literature. Since the Mediterranean sun epitomized the landscape of Algiers, where Camus grew up, he called Algiers the...
The Spirit of Classicism Found in Corneille’s ‘Le Cid’ and ‘Horace’
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 Zora Neale Hurston fall into obscurity and then get rediscovered by Alice Walker?
In this blog post, we’ll explore Zora Neale Hurston’s life and work, and how Alice Walker, along with Black feminism and academia, brought her back from being a hidden master in literary history to a central figure. Rediscovered Artists: Bach, de La Tour, Hurston There are people who fade from public memory after their passing, only to make a spectacular comeback when suddenly thrust back...
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...
Who is Jean Webster, and what is her work about?
This blog post covers Jean Webster’s life, as well as an analysis and review of her novel ‘Daddy-Long-Legs’. Author and Work Analysis Jean Webster was born on July 24, 1876, in Fredonia, New York. Her father was a publisher who had published Mark Twain’s famous novel ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’, and her mother, Mark Twain’s niece, was known for her wit. Webster...
Why Should We Embrace Lovecraft’s Bizarre World?
In this blog post, we’ll examine what philosophical questions and perceptions of reality Lovecraft’s bizarre world encompasses beyond mere horror, and explore its significance. Five Works That Define Lovecraft’s World The works I reviewed this time are “The Outsider,” “The Rats in the Walls,” “The Call of Cthulhu,” “The Whisperer in the Darkness,” and “The Color Out of Space”—five stories...
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...