Posts Categorized: historical

Victorian Gothic

Halloween is upon us again, and to get into the spirit, I thought I would head over to my bookcase and re-read a scary story or two. As a big fan of the great Victorian Gothic novels – “Dracula” and “Frankenstein” – I thought I would delve a little into the origins of Gothic literature and explore why these books remain so popular. Principally, “Gothic” refers to a style of architecture which developed during the Middle Ages; featuring tall, pointed windows, stained glass, flying buttresses, and soaring spires.  During the late… Read more »

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Pumpkin, Schmumpkin…

It is late September here in North Texas, (and, I assume, in other places too), and the temperature has finally begun to cool down from the inferno-like heat of summer.  Even before the welcome arrival of autumnal air, you could tell that a change in season was imminent simply by entering a coffee shop or grocery store.  Wherever you look, you’re bombarded by the sight and smells of pumpkins: big, orange ones, weirdly shaped white ones, itty-bitty cute ones of varying hues, as well as suggestively… Read more »

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The Joy of Obscenity

“When angry, count to four. When very angry, swear.” Mark Twain. One of the more interesting results of the recent “Brexit” referendum was the outpouring of savage yet creative insults hurled by Twitter users towards Donald Trump. It was encouraging to see such a dazzling display of wordplay and literary entrepreneurism.  As a British expat, it was heartening to see that the ancient Anglo-Saxon talent for obscenity is far from a figment of our distant medieval past. Much to my (American) husband’s chagrin,… Read more »

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Bread and Circuses

I think we can all agree that the current political climate has become surreal to the point of absurd.  While the Democratic party is still squabbling over who will ultimately become their nominee, the Republican party has essentially surrendered whatever dignity they had to the bombastic bluster of Donald J Trump – a figure so cartoonish that his very existence seems like a punch line to an off-color joke. How did we get here?? Of late, I have read several op-ed pieces comparing our current political… Read more »

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Love and Death…

On this Valentines Day, I thought that it would be interesting to look at the origins of our annual celebration of love.  I was surprised to learn that it was not just a made-up “Hallmark Holiday” (although it has certainly been commercially appropriated).  Like many of our contemporary celebrations, Valentine’s Day has ancient origins. I found the following story on the NPR website.  It encompasses many of the theories surrounding  Valentine’s Day’s.  To avoid re-inventing the wheel, I thought I would share… Read more »

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