Henry James is my favorite writer — let’s just get that out of the way. That fact is due in large part to a course I took on him in college, and to the professor who taught that course. The Ambassadors was the last thing on the syllabus, and on the day of the final… Continue reading Henry James – The Ambassadors
Author: joemastracchio
Shakespeare – Antony and Cleopatra
At the very end of Antony and Cleopatra, Caesar says of the now dead lovers: No grave upon the earth shall clip in itA pair so famous. In doing so he summarizes something very important about this play, which I think has consequences especially when held up to Shakespeare's other big tragedies. Tragedy as a… Continue reading Shakespeare – Antony and Cleopatra
Ovid – Metamorphoses (part 1)
I’ve decided to revisit Ovid’s Metamorphoses. I wish I could say that I’ve decided to “reread” Ovid’s Metamorphoses, but who am I kidding. If I actually reread the whole thing, it’ll be a miracle. More likely I’ll get about a third of the way through before something distracts me away from it. “Revisiting” a thing… Continue reading Ovid – Metamorphoses (part 1)
Henry James – The Turn of the Screw
Is there anything we can all agree on with regards to “The Turn of the Screw”? Let us doom our pursuit from the outset, and start with the title. For the Christmas Evers telling, being told, and to some extent analyzing ghost stories, the phrase “a turn of the screw” seems to be commonly understood… Continue reading Henry James – The Turn of the Screw
A mission statement, of sorts
In this blog, I will write my thoughts about literature. That’s it. This will include thoughts on books as I’m reading them for the first time, though more often than not I expect I’ll be discussing works I’ve already read; what impressions occurred to me when I first encountered them, and which occur as I… Continue reading A mission statement, of sorts
You Publishing Scoundrel! 