Uncle Tom’s Cabin

I read Harriet Beecher Stowe‘s Uncle Tom’s Cabin this week, in a free Kindle edition. I’m not sure what I expected, but the book was better than I anticipated, with wit, wonderful descriptions, action, suspense, layers of story upon story, amazing characterizations, and surprise twists. I learned some history, which I like to do while [...]

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The Emperor’s New Suit

From the pen of Hans Christian Andersen, and first published in 1837: The Emperor’s New Suit. More on Andersen and his many tales here.

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To cut, or not to cut

Having found that some readers did not understand the irony (i.e., did not get the joke) of his suggestion that we revive the art of dueling (I linked to that post, and a related article, here), David Bentley Hart clarifies that, and then goes on to give us a history lesson in “the cut,” which [...]

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Undereducated and overschooled

You know about Homo academicus saecularis sinister, although probably under another name. Let Anthony Esolen tell you more about them, as he makes observations about The Real World.

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Reading with new eyes: or, a discourse on chivalry

Julie of Happy Catholic is now writing at Patheos. This post combines observations on faith, classic literature, and chivalry. It’s hard to beat that. And, by the way, if you think you know about the Round Table tales of Camelot, please go read the post. She points out some of what later versions have left [...]

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In defense of honestly-taught humanities

From In Defense of the Liberal Arts by Victor Davis Hanson at National Review Online: But the liberal arts train students to write, think, and argue inductively, while drawing upon evidence from a shared body of knowledge. Without that foundation, it is harder to make — or demand from others — logical, informed decisions about [...]

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Book note: Streams in the Desert, by Mrs. Chas E. Cowman

One of the most requested devotionals in our bookstore since the get-go has been Streams in the Desert, by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, which has been in print since 1924. A while back, I snagged a 1965 print run copy for myself. By then, there were already more than two million copies in print. I can see [...]

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Toddler Shakespeare

hat tip: Amy Welborn

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7 Quick Takes

Joining with others in the 7 Quick Takes Friday round-up hosted by Conversion Diary: 1. In a quest to discover the heritage I was was not taught in public school or college, I have been reading lots of old books, with an emphasis on classics. I am currently reading The Three Musketeers. I have decidedly mixed feelings [...]

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Songs and stories…

…aren’t just entertainment. Children are “raised on” them.

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