Enjoying the Bible by Matthew Mullins Mullins argues that we often use the Bible more than we enjoy it. The key to enjoying the Bible more is to read it like literature, specifically like we would poetry. The book thus offers an introduction to reading poetry and meditating on scripture. The book’s most helpful featureContinue reading “Book Review Capsule: Enjoying the Bible”
Tag Archives: Covenantal Literature
Course 1: The Old Testament
I am working on a 180 lesson Covenantal Literature course on the Old Testament to complement a Western Civ course on the OT Each lesson would feature seven sections: Review Plot Historical interpretation Theological interpretation Literary interpretation Covenantal theme Discussion of and connection to other cultural works The course outline currently looks like this.
Wallace’s Double-Binds Pt. 2: Kantian Antinomies
The following list sums up the basic paradoxes at the heart of Kantian philosophy: unity vs. plurality, structure vs. change, law vs. freedom, science vs. personality, deduction vs. induction, theory vs. brute factuality, definition vs. application. We are all Kant’s heirs; David Foster Wallace is not excluded. His stories in Oblivion (2004) represent “double-binds” thatContinue reading “Wallace’s Double-Binds Pt. 2: Kantian Antinomies”
Wallace’s Double-binds
David Foster Wallace fills his book Oblivion: Stories (2004) with double-binds. A character wishes to be significant while working at a job that demands his insignificance. A child misses a teacher’s psychotic breakdown in the classroom, but only because a more horrific daydream transfixes him. A tribe’s magical child can only dispense wisdom to theContinue reading “Wallace’s Double-binds”
Shakespeare Project: Days 5-8
Today, I finished the Henry VI trilogy. The plays ask a simple question: can a Christian be a good king? A straight reading of the plays says no. Henry VI is a devout man who is a bad ruler. Under Henry VI, the seeds for the War of the Roses were sown. He failed toContinue reading “Shakespeare Project: Days 5-8”
Shakespeare Project: Days 3 and 4
I finished my third Shakespeare play of the new year, Henry VI Part 2. It’s regarded as the strongest of the Henry VI trilogy, and I can see why. Henry VI is a fascinating figure, namely because he’s pious. You can’t find a more Christian king in Shakespeare’s corpus. Yet, his kingdom is in ruin.Continue reading “Shakespeare Project: Days 3 and 4”
Shakespeare Project: Day 2
I knocked out another play today: Henry VI Part 1. It’s a historical drama that critics either think Shakespeare didn’t write (co-writing candidates include Thomas Nashe) or shouldn’t have written. Given its lackluster reputation, I was surprised at how much was inside the play. The play’s action occurs between Henry V’s death and the beginningContinue reading “Shakespeare Project: Day 2”
Shakespeare Project: Day 1
One of my New Year’s commitments was to reread Shakespeare’s corpus. I began today with his provocative The Taming of the Shrew. The plot hearkens back to both folk tales and Biblical parables. Its premise? A beautiful younger daughter (Bianca) with many suitors can’t get married until her shrewish older sister (Katherine/Kate) gets hitched. EnterContinue reading “Shakespeare Project: Day 1”
New Year; More Reading
I started the new year by reading Leland Ryken’s How To Read the Bible as Literature (and Get More Out of It). The book is more of an introduction to the topic than a definitive source. Its best feature? Copious further reading lists at the end of each chapter. I’ll be checking out the followingContinue reading “New Year; More Reading”
Notes from the Underground: Plot and Theme
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground (1864) is a propulsive novella narrated in the first-person by the Underground Man, a retired civil servant. The novel has two sections. The first section records the Underground Man’s rantings against various elements of Russian society, particularly Utopianism. People are incapable of perfection, he argues, and are fundamentally irrational.Continue reading “Notes from the Underground: Plot and Theme”
Experiments in Criticism 