Among the great works of western literature is Milton’s – Paradise Lost This timeless retelling of the book of Genesis is meritoriously placed alongside the brilliant writings of Shakespeare and Joyce. I finally mustered the courage to open the gate into Milton’s accounting of humanity’s fall and the redeeming grace that saves us. After taking in just a few verses, Milton pulled me deep inside with the same force the earth draws every object with mass towards its center. Truth be told, did the poetic prose become daunting at times? Absolutely, but only increasing my desire to dig deeper into the hidden meaning behind the words. Milton never let go of God’s sovereignty over his creation. Beauty, rebellion, tragedy and redemption were all there, cast through Milton’s eyes according to the Book of Genesis. Simply put – Paradise Lost is a masterpiece. Milton…
It is far easier to name obstacles that hinder the craft of writing than it is to make a quick case for getting words down on the page. Writers are persistently challenged by the sheer lack of time, a steady stream of distractions and staying motivated to keep working at the craft like clockwork. Moreover, the inspiration that tanks up the desire to write often dwindles when striving to really spot where the time invested is making a difference. Like salmon rushing upstream against the current, aspiring writers know they face stacked odds at being discovered any time soon. Building even a small readership today is quite difficult when keeping company with 32.7 million other bloggers in the United States alone, not to mention the 600 million blogs already established worldwide. Yes, the world is certainly a big place bent on pressing every nose against the tantalizing scent blazed…
Only Piranesi and the Other Exist. They live in a “House” filled with an infinite number of rooms that sweep into huge halls. The rest of the world no longer exists. The man who describes himself as the “Other” believes that the “knowledge of the ancients” is hidden somewhere. Its power was something that mankind used to possess, but lost at some point in time. Also living in this colossal place is Piranesi He is a good man who takes care of the House. Huge story-like statues populate the rooms, each symbolic of something that Piranesi cherishes. So gentle and kind, he feeds the beautiful birds flying everywhere, and marvels at the creatures filling the sea. All things within the House is meticulously known, and loved with tenderness. A scientist at heart, Piranesi moves through this majestic place with precision. There is no fear, he…
The Wisdom of George Eliot The journey through George Eliot’s life changing novel MiddleMarch – A Study of Provincial Life begins with a look back into the young life of Saint Theresa of Avila. As a child, little Theresa and her younger brother set out from Avila to find martyrdom as a means to restore peace in the suffering country of the Moors. Eliot then quickly takes us into the hidden life of the innumerable quiet souls struggling with hard times not unlike the mystical saint. Thus, the magnificent nineteenth century writer points to the existence of the “many Theresas in our world who found for themselves no epic life; perhaps only a life of mistakes; or a tragic failure with no sacred poet and sank un-wept into oblivion.” Through the lives of the characters living in Middlemarch, Eliot shows us that “it is never too late to be…
Looking back, packing for work travel always meant taking only what was absolutely necessary. I was always determined to snuggle my carry-on bag into the plane’s overhead compartment easy-peasy. Hence, clothes were packed into tiny squares nice and flat with miniscule travel size bottles used to hold almost anything else. As colleagues headed to stand-by the luggage pick-up area after reaching our destination, I was already on line to catch a cab with my nose in a book. Just like that old saying goes, “I have my nose stuck in a book just about as often as I breathe (Guillemets, Raiding Bookshelves).” That’s me – right there. Taking my books on the journey was the only exception to the one bag rule. Leaving Jane Eyre, Fyodor Dostoevsky, George Eliot and so many others behind was simply not an option. No matter where I was headed…
