Today's Date:
January 12, 2025
- Authors (9)
- Poetry (62)
- Fiction (162)
- Non-Fiction (42)
Violence, Fear, and Glory in The Prince by Machiavelli
In Machiavelli’s The Prince, the author discusses the path to effective leadership through a combination of cunning, controlled violence, balance of the respect and fear of subjects, and other routes to maintaining power. One of the most striking features of →
Review & Summary of “Path to Power : The Years of Lyndon Johnson v.1”
In this first volume of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s biography, historian Robert A. Caro explains Johnson’s trajectory that led him to the highest office of executive power in the United States. “The Path to Power : The Years of Lyndon →
Review and Summary of “The Trojan War: A New History” by Barry Strauss
In his recently published book, “The Trojan War: A New History”, author and historian Barry Strauss takes a subject that has been written about extensively, both in history books and in literary narratives, and attempts to breathe new life into →
Analysis of “In the Skin of a Lion” by Michael Ondaatje : Themes of Violence
Given the pervasiveness and intensity of violence in Michael Ondaatje’s novel, “In the Skin of a Lion”, it may seem to be a foregone conclusion that the writer is advocating aggressive action as a means of political change. Violence, after all, →
Class and Satire in “The American” by Henry James and “Huck Finn” by Mark Twain
One of the most effective techniques an author can employ to engage the reader is the use of satire, which, with its blend of humor and social commentary and criticism, typically makes for interesting reading. Two novelistic examples in which →
Representations of Children in Eighteenth Century Literature
There are a number of modern-day adages which are still used to describe the ways in which children of past generations were regarded with respect to their position in society and in relationship to their families. These sayings include, among →
Common Themes in Romanticism, The Enlightenment, and the Renaissance
When considering three major movements in world civilization and history; Romanticism, the Enlightenment, and the Renaissance, one theme that runs throughout is that of rebellion. More specifically, this rebellion in all three movements was against past traditions and each of →
Converging Themes in War and Poetry : Szymborska and Komunyakaa
War, like love, is one of the most persistent features of human life, and so it is natural that this subject would be a popular one for poets. Indeed, war poetry is probably as old as poetry itself, and there →
Paradise Lost by John Milton: A Critical Reading of Adam’s Fall
The critic’s reading of Adam’s fall in “Paradise Lost” by John Milton is problematic and flawed; however, his very conceptualization that Adam’s actions represent the most important element of Milton’s narrative is even more troubling. The critic contends that Adam’s →
