Browsing the archives for the Literature category

In which Billy Collins deprecates despair

27 Jan, 2011 in Literature by

The self regards itself in a watery mirror, as the tendrils of the yew tree inch toward the coffin. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

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In which a rival poet is humiliated

25 Jan, 2011 in Literature by

We’re left to imagine that the “rival” is a kind, gifted and generous person. As for the person is speaking through the poem, imagination isn’t required. This is a remarkable spoof of the self.

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Master and Commander, Book 1

2 Jan, 2011 in Literature by

When we close the last page of Master And Commander, we will understand Dillon’s red hair, his hopes and perils, his inability to hit the note again, his dim lighting, and his private intonation of the doxology.

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The Surgeon’s Mate, Book 12

16 Oct, 2010 in Literature by

“I believe we have the classical situation — the captive, the maiden — it is ludicrously hackneyed,” observes Stephen. In O’Brian’s hand, there is nothing hackneyed about it at all.

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Abaft The Futtock-Shrouds, Book 27

30 Aug, 2010 in Literature by

With the ship becalmed, her crew members are whiling away the endless evenings in recreational activities. Intramural roller-derby is the most popular; the feverish stroke of bodies hurtling counter-clockwise in the confined space of the quarterdeck, the clash of whirring wheels… [WARNING: plot spoilers!]

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