I’m sick of Flannery O’Connor. I’m also sick of Walker Percy, G. K. Chesterton, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, T. S. Eliot, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Dostoevsky. Actually, I’m sick of hearing about them from religiously minded readers. These tend to be the only authors that come up when I . . . . Continue Reading »
Coursera woos me to MOOC through my college email. I haven’t succumbed yet, but only because they haven’t offered anything interesting enough. I signed up for one course on logic, but backed out after clarification over the goal of the course which was to prove through logic . . . . Continue Reading »
Andrew Ferguson informs and amuses at The Weekly Standard about that other orthodoxy in, “The Heretic: Who is Thomas Nagel and why are so many of his fellow academics condemning him?” It is longish, but I liked it and for possibly unnatural reasons, thought some of you might like it, . . . . Continue Reading »
For many years, traditionalist thinkers have promoted the teaching of a set of core texts—the “great books”—as a vital element of a liberal arts education during a time when demands for multiculturalism led to the dismantling of a number of traditional programs of study. In more . . . . Continue Reading »
Best to begin in medias res, says Horace, so let me start with two exemplary excerpts from the works of the inimitable Irish writer Amanda McKittrick Ros (1860–1939). The first opens the fourth chapter of her debut novel of 1897, Irene Iddesleigh: When on the eve of glory, whilst brooding over . . . . Continue Reading »
I read two articles yesterday about how little the Left and Right listen to each other. One is thoughtful, by Yuval Levin in The Weekly Standard , ” The Real Debate “, Each party is pulled into this debate by what it sees as the deeply misguided views of the other. Democrats . . . . Continue Reading »
The interesting thing about writing on a blog with men is that the woman writing knows that some things that concern them are incomprehensible to her and that some things she will write about will be incomprehensible to them. I never feel so sensitive about that as when I want to write about . . . . Continue Reading »
We take sympathy and sorrow for granted when people die in circumstances like the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting . Unfortunately, we can also take for granted that a chorus of voices in favor of gun repression, as if the availability of guns inspires mass murderers. You’ll hear all . . . . Continue Reading »
That book series! John Presnall writes about it below. I have something to add to the discussion. I am on the board of our county public library. There was a bit of controversy at a board meeting over this book and the genre called Gray Romance. Yes, it’s selling . . . . Continue Reading »
“I met some kids in Thailand who worked on the street in a red-light district, and they sold flowers. They were going in and out of these brothels. That was the first place I felt like I came alive in the law and what I wanted to do.” Gayle Trotter: This is Gayle . . . . Continue Reading »
Subscribe
Latest Issue
Support First Things
