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
Category: Literature
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
A Not-So-Pan-tastic Review: Arthur Machen’s The Great God Pan
Pan teaching his eromenos, the Shepherd Daphnis, to play his Pan flute. Arthur Machen's The Great God Pan is often hailed as a classic of horror literature, revered for its ability to induce existential dread and psychological unease. But let's face it: it’s also a tale that might make you chuckle at its melodrama, archaic … Continue reading A Not-So-Pan-tastic Review: Arthur Machen’s The Great God Pan
The Monkey & The Dolphin: A Dive into Aesop’s Wisdom
Surely, hasn't everyone delved into at least a few of these marvelous short stories? I devoured them with glee during my younger years. For those who haven't yet had the pleasure, if you merely take a brief plunge into their world, you'll soon find yourself exclaiming, "Oh, yes, naturally!" Gustave Doré's 1867 print of the … Continue reading The Monkey & The Dolphin: A Dive into Aesop’s Wisdom
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