Author Archives: James Mark Shields
Vales of Laughter? Not so much.
I picked up this 1953 comic novel of Peter DeVries after reading a writer whom I respect report that it is a work that literally makes him laugh out loud. This, to me, is an extremely high commendation, something I … Continue reading
Posted in Reading List
Comments Off on Vales of Laughter? Not so much.
The World of the PRB
I have been a fan of the art of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood for several decades, since first encountering their works while sojourning in the United Kingdom. In fact, even before seeing the paintings of Rossetti et al., in their magnificent … Continue reading
Posted in Reading List
Comments Off on The World of the PRB
A Dream of Red Mansions
I have been absent from the blog for several months due to various reasons, not the least of which is that I have been immersed in reading an extraordinary long work, the Chinese Ming Dynasty classic A Dream of Red … Continue reading
Posted in Reading List
Comments Off on A Dream of Red Mansions
Boccaccio in Love
I love love, and I love (for the most part) teaching and reading about love, especially when such involves the work of a ‘master’ of love such as Sappho, Ovid, Hafiz, Stendhal, or Octavio Paz. Giovanni Boccaccio, the ‘third leg’ … Continue reading
Posted in Reading List
Comments Off on Boccaccio in Love
Dead Sea Scrolls
I wish I could get excited about the Dead Sea Scrolls, but frankly, I’m having great trouble doing so. And this is from a guy who generally loves sacred texts, for all their weirdness and ‘human, all-too-human’ aspects. Just the … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Comments Off on Dead Sea Scrolls
The Evil that is Plastic, Part I
Prior to the recent US presidential election I participated in one of those on-line polls (something I usually avoid as being silly and time-consuming). After asking a series of questions regarding values/policies on a wide range of issues, this poll … Continue reading
Posted in Environment
Comments Off on The Evil that is Plastic, Part I
Post-feminist Neo-gothic Fairy Tales
After finishing Ruskin’s Stones of Venice, I turned my ‘leisure reading’ eyes to something completely different — albeit a text and author equally indebted to “Gothic” sensibilities of another sort — Angela Carter’s Bloody Chamber & Other Stories (1979). This collection is … Continue reading
Posted in Reading List
Comments Off on Post-feminist Neo-gothic Fairy Tales
The Nature of Gothic
I plan to use these posts to unload random thoughts on any and all topics, especially those connected to the six interlocking spheres most important to me: philosophy, religion, ethics, politics, literature, and the environment. I have no idea if … Continue reading
Posted in Reading List
Comments Off on The Nature of Gothic