Readers of “First Thoughts” should also visit and subscribe to Helen Rittelmeyer’s blog , the latest addition to our online lineup.
Helen’s started with an uncanny side-by-side reading of The Brothers Karamazov and “Arrested Development,” a critique of David Brooks’ humility syllabus , comments on Nigerian soccer , and advice to aspiring writers .
Welcome aboard, Helen!
The Dreadful Christ of Pär Lagerkvist
It’s dangerous to meet a god,” says the disgraced Pythia in Pär Lagerkvist’s The Sibyl. Her observation…
The Possibility of Possibility
"Might could” is a Southern expression meaning “maybe I could” or “I might be able to,” conveying…
The False Promise of No Contact
Around the time nineteen-year-old Alice began cutting ties with her family, she announced on social media that…