I distrust the concept of originality. An artist, author, educator, theologian, or philosopher who strives to be original is apt to spend far more time thinking of themselves than their field of study or their audience. The motivation to be different, to stand out, to make a place at the table can become a powerful […]
Craftsmanship and Originality Read More »
In Larry Benson’s very fine work, Art and Tradition in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, he makes some interesting observations about the role of the poet in the Classical and Medieval world. The classical epic poet draws his material from the oral tradition. He is not the originator of the work. He is simply
Tradition, Authority, and the Classical and Medieval Poet Read More »
I’ve been reading Larry Benson’s (famed editor of the Riverside Chaucer) 1965 book, Art and Tradition in Sir Gawain in the Green Knight in preparation for my online intensive class on Sir Gawain. What I love about Benson’s work is how he roots the entire thing in the medieval tradition and helps us to read
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I was recently talking with a new friend of mine about art and tradition and the role of the poet—like I do—and he recommended to me an essay that had influenced his understanding of all of those things, “Tradition and the Individual Talent” (1921) by TS Eliot. I’ve been a longtime admirer of TS Eliot
Tradition and the Individual Talent: Or, TS Eliot Shares My Love of Dead Poets Read More »
“Our past is not merely something to depart from; it is to commune with, to speak with… Remove this sense of continuity, and we are left with the thoughtless present tense of machines. If we fail to see that we live in the same world that Homer lived in, then we not only misunderstand Homer;
