fiction
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Defending The Western Canon, vol. II (Aesthetic value & Kafka)
As a staunch defender of the Western Canon as it has been characterised by the likes of Samuel Johnson, William Hazlitt, Harold Bloom, George Steiner, Frank Kermode, among many other of our classic, canon-centric critics, I find—as I have done before, see vol. I—that it is necessary to illuminate the notion of “aesthetic merit” as… Continue reading
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Emily Dickinson is a cornerstone of Western Literature
I intend this short, introductory essay to be a companion to my “Dissecting Dickinson” series in which I analyse (or, as it was, dissect) Dickinson’s poems. Each is linked here:From Blank to Blank —My Wheel Is in the Dark!The Guest Is Gold and Crimson Within Harold Bloom’s The Western Canon there are approximately 800 authors,… Continue reading
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Where to start with Henry James
Henry James, of whom I presently, and with possibly the greatest literary joy of my life, have read anything and everything there is to read, is by far one of the best, most refined, most scandalously clever authors I have had the pleasure of reading. It is no secret by now, I am well aware,… Continue reading
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A Short Story: The day I went for a walk with Montaigne in a French village
It was around two years ago; I am sorry to confess I don’t remember the exact date (sometime in mid-July), when I, along with my mentor Michel de Montaigne, went for a contemplative walk in a small village some ten kilometres outside Bergerac. The village, which could be said to be more of a hamlet… Continue reading
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Defending The Western Canon, vol. I (Where we are headed)
It is a tragic realisation that most colleges and universities in the West have moved away from studying, inquiring into, and appreciating the importance and stunning beauty of the Western canon, which, after all, is the backbone of our society — our birth certificate, if you will. Instead, the oppression of our most significant authors… Continue reading
The Western Canon 