Literary works of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries tend to depend, in one way or another, on reputation. In works such as Samuel Richardson’s Pamela or Eliza Haywood‘s Fantomina, the issue of good and bad reputation informs the main conflict of the story. It is important to note, however, that the reputation atContinue reading “A Reputation of Deceit: How Moll Flanders Beat the Gossip Game (Part 1 of 2)”
Tag Archives: Non-Fiction
Celebrating Valentine’s Day
Did you know that there is not one, but three different saints named Valentine who are officially recognized by the Catholic Church? They were all martyred for different reasons at different times; small wonder there’s so much confusion about what Valentine’s Day is really about. The most popular story involves the Saint Valentine (or Valentinus)Continue reading “Celebrating Valentine’s Day”
Inspiration – The Stories Behind Histories
In his book The Magic Circle of Rudolf II: Alchemy and Astrology in Renaissance Prague, Peter Marshall explores the life and times of one of the Hapsburg family’s most misunderstood members, Rudolf II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1576 to 1612. Marshall examines Rudolf, not from a 21st century context, but in theContinue reading “Inspiration – The Stories Behind Histories”
Coming Out of the Closet: “Carrie”, “Halloween”, and the Duality of Safe Spaces (Part 2 of 2)
Carrie brings us another important scene in which the closet again figures prominently. Near the end of the film, Carrie kills her mother in self-defense and then, in her grief, destroys the entire house while she dies in the closet holding her mother’s body. A horrific scene in its own right, this scene differs inContinue reading “Coming Out of the Closet: “Carrie”, “Halloween”, and the Duality of Safe Spaces (Part 2 of 2)”
Inspiration – Looking Beneath the Surface of Casablanca
Casablanca was released at the very end of 1942, right in the middle of the very war it captured on film. It was a year after the first American military offenses had begun in World War II. The ending of it, the shape of the world after it would end, was anyone’s guess. In aContinue reading “Inspiration – Looking Beneath the Surface of Casablanca”