Today’s visitors to Greece are often struck by the generous hospitality of the people. An ancient tradition lies behind the traveler’s welcome in Greece — and it is a tradition that was fundamentally religious before it became a part of social custom.
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Reality (a Working Definition)
The body’s physical, unmediated relationship with its environment. Chew on that for a while. Thoughts to follow.
The Iliad: Rage and War
As the narrator states first thing: the subject of the Iliad is the rage of Achilles and the consequences of that rage for both the Achaeans and the Trojans. War effects not only the men who fight the battles, but also the women and children whose lives are then shaped by its outcome. War represents the worst and, ironically, the best of humanity: ugly brutality and terrible beauty.
Science Fiction (A Definition)
Yesterday, in my current sf course, we discussed and attempted to define what we mean when we talk about “science fiction.” We read several introductions to the topic, considered a couple of illustrative texts, and decided that any definition of science fiction must be locally situated: i.e., there is unlikely anything we can call “SF” [...]
Iliad Observations
In my old undergraduate notes, I found some sections from Great Books that deal with the Iliad. I cannot give the exact reference, as whatever professor gave me the photocopy had neglected to put in that information. If anyone knows, please let me know so I can give proper credit. From David Denby’s The New [...]
Notes on Realism
The main objective of any good writer is in distinguishing the “actual” from the “real,” and then discovering what relation, if any, they have to one another. The former is defined as what everyone perceives through his/her sensory organs; the “actual” is subjective, and therefore different for everyone. The latter is what is truly real, [...]