“Homely Phrases”: Revisiting the Simplicity Paradox in George Herbert’s Poetry
If we hear the same old dove Singing in the same old tree, Might this bring us back to love And beautiful simplicity?[1] God only is, writes Thomas Browne, all others…are something but by a distinction. (Religio Medici, I, 35) To read Herbert’s poems is to experience the dissolution of the distinctions by which all […]
Responses to George Herbert’s Simplicity
Since the first publication of The Temple in 1633, fellow poets and critics have commented diversely on the perceived simplicity of George Herbert’s verse. Their responses have differed widely in terminology, analysis and definition. “Simplicity” heads a nexus encompassing “plainness,” “homeliness,” “directness,” “sincerity” and “purity.” This post gathers together a selection of views and quotes […]
Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Tom Stoppard once described his artistic goal as follows: I realized quite some time ago that I was in it because of the theatre rather than because of the literature. I like theatre, I like showbiz, and that’s what I’m true to…. I’ve benefited greatly from Peter Wood’s [a London theatre director] down-to-earth way of […]
An Introduction to Colette’s The Cat
Page references in the following discussion are to Antonia White’s translation of The Cat in Colette. Gigi and The Cat. Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England, 1958. The Cat (La Chatte) was first published by Bernard Grasset, Paris, in 1933. This photo of Colette is by Henri Manuel: Colette Sidonie Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954) was a prodigiously […]
George Herbert: Poet and Spiritual Guide
George Herbert (1593-1633) belonged to the school of seventeenth-century which included John Donne, Henry Vaughan, Richard Crashaw, Abraham Cowley and Thomas Traherne. Helen Gardner’s introduction to her edition, The Metaphysical Poets (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1966), is an expert discussion of the leading features of this school. Present-day Bemerton residents have provided an excellent illustrated biography of […]
Jennifer Rogers: Jigsaws
Jigsaws was first performed at the Hole in the Wall theatre in Perth in 1988. It was published by Currency Press in the same year. A season at La Boite Theatre, Brisbane, followed in January-February 1990. See the plot outline and photo of performers at <archive.laboite.com.au/1990/jigsaws> . Jigsaws was revived at the Koorliny Arts Centre, Kwinana, […]
George Johnston’s My Brother Jack
These three lectures trace themes of war, soldiership, masculinity, femininity, and family relationships as they unfold sequentially through My Brother Jack. LECTURE ONE: BOYHOOD My Brother Jack was first published to critical acclaim in 1964. It follows the lives of David Meredith and his brother Jack from David’s childhood in 1914 (when he was three) […]
John Gray: Shakespeare’s As You Like It, A Play on Genre
This lecture moves backwards through the text of As You Like It. Beginning with the Epilogue, it demonstrates that Shakespeare’s most loved comedy is a witty parody of medieval romance and other genres: song, dance, masque, the greenwood adventure, and courtly love. References are to Alan Brissenden’s Oxford World’s Classics edition of Shakespeare’s As You […]
Chaucer’s Knight’s Tale: Selected Articles and Books
John Gray compiled this list. Formatting and acronyms follow the MLA Style Guide.
Kate Millett and the Feminist Critique
This lecture surveys post-World War II developments in feminist consciousness and literary criticism, focusing on approaches developed and applied by Kate Millett in Sexual Politics.