I have an enduring love for the countryside, especially those areas filled with ancient, brooding trees that seem to harbour their own secrets. One such tree caught my eye in the charming town of Cockermouth, Cumbria (UK). Its gnarled bark and twisted branches bore an uncanny resemblance to the features of an old witch, a … Continue reading James’ Bark & Bite: The Ash Tree
Month: July 2024
The Mystical Maze: Teresa of Avila’s Blueprint for Spiritual Confusion
Teresa of Avila's Interior Castle is often hailed as a masterpiece of Christian mysticism, but let's cut through the reverential fog and call it what it is: a convoluted, self-indulgent mess. Written in 1577, this so-called spiritual guide drags the reader through a tortuous maze of theological mumbo jumbo, all while Teresa pats herself on … Continue reading The Mystical Maze: Teresa of Avila’s Blueprint for Spiritual Confusion
Cain: A Descent into Darkness
The individual in this painting appears utterly wretched, a little like myself, however, I'm not feeling wretched because I've committed fratricide, thankfully - our subject here though, has. So, for your edification, read on... Julius Paulsen’s painting, Cain, is an unsettling, morose portrayal of one of the most infamous characters in biblical lore. It is … Continue reading Cain: A Descent into Darkness
Elizabeth Gaskell’s Ruth: A Perilous Slog Through Moral Terrain
Drop, drop, slow tears!And bathe those beauteous feet,Which brought from heavenThe news and Prince of peace.Cease not, wet eyes,For mercy to entreat:To cry for vengeanceSin doth never cease.In your deep floodsDrown all my faults and fears;Nor let His eyeSee sin, but through my tears. Phineas Fletcher At the heart of Ruth, published in 1853, is the tale … Continue reading Elizabeth Gaskell’s Ruth: A Perilous Slog Through Moral Terrain
Through the Peephole: Henri Barbusse’s The Inferno
Lately, I find myself immersed in a sea of existentialist musings, possibly reflecting my own melancholic state of mind and sombre outlook on life. And the work I'm about to detail is hard to pin down to exactly which literary genre this introspective fluff belongs to - Existentialist? Modernist? Philosophical Fiction? Psychological Fiction? Perhaps it … Continue reading Through the Peephole: Henri Barbusse’s The Inferno
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