In mythology and the epics we encounter three different female characters: the Muse, the Siren, and the Echo. But these three women are more than just characters; they are three distinct Voices, each singing a different song—some to destruction and some to life. At the heart of every myth is the Muse. She is the […]
The Muse, the Siren, and the Echo: A Contemplation of Voices Read More »
The Early Life of JRR Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Inklings: Chapter One Read More »
It’s not often that I pick up a non-fiction book and cannot put it down. But that’s exactly what happened when I started reading The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings by Philip Zaleski and Carol Zaleski. I purchased the book on a whim because I had been wanting to learn more about Charles
The Fellowship of the Inklings: A New Series Read More »
Last week I contemplated the cycle of Death and Rebirth in Nature and how it reflects that great spiritual reality of the Resurrection. In particular I focused on how, in the Resurrection, God makes even Death itself beautiful. I’ve continued to meditate on this idea—the relationship between Christ’s defeat of Death and the cultivation of
More Thoughts on Death, Rebirth, and Beauty Read More »
I finally have my first proper Winter and I learn some important lessons about Death and the Gospel.
Death, Rebirth, and New Beginnings Read More »
Of all passions the passion for the Inner Ring is most skillful in making a man who is not yet a very bad man do very bad things.
The Dangerous Lure of the Inner Circle Read More »
I was having a conversation with my sister recently and the talk turned to female friendships. I asked her if she had found a community of friends yet in her new hometown; in particular I wondered if she had found some women with which to connect. She said that she had met some ladies, but
The True Goal of Classical Education: Friendship Read More »
By definition a fairy tale has a happy ending. There is no such thing as a tragic fairy tale. If a tale ends in tragedy, it is not a fairy tale; it is a cautionary tale. And yet you may have read some “fairy tales” that don’t have happy endings. That’s because the author deliberately
The Didacticism of Charles Perrault’s Fairy Tales Read More »
There are two basic types of myths: stories of the gods and stories of heroes. But after the birth of Christ a new kind of story took hold. Stories of the everyman. They’re called Fairy Tales.
The Changing Hero: From Myth to Fairy Tale Read More »
I have a very specific process when I approach a writing project. Using the first three canons of Classical Rhetoric, I first write down every idea I have. This is the Invention stage and includes my research stage. Anything that generates an idea—something I read, a conversation I had, a thought that I contemplate, I
Getting Back to Basics: How I Undo My Writer’s Block Read More »
