Holy Hype and Heavenly Hardships: A Witty Take on The Song of Bernadette

The Song of Bernadette. A tale so steeped in piety, suffering, and miraculous visions that one might think Franz Werfel and Henry King teamed up to make us all feel like we’ve been woefully underachieving in our spiritual lives. Between the novel’s lofty prose and the film’s reverent close-ups of Jennifer Jones looking like she’s … Continue reading Holy Hype and Heavenly Hardships: A Witty Take on The Song of Bernadette

A Whistle of Innocence: A Detailed and Wry Look at Whistle Down the Wind

Two new posts today - I've been stacking them while I've been poorly. I'm on the mend now, I think, so I have a lot more to share. When Mary Hayley Bell’s novel Whistle Down the Wind was published in 1958, it came wrapped in an intriguing premise: what happens when a group of naïve children stumble … Continue reading A Whistle of Innocence: A Detailed and Wry Look at Whistle Down the Wind

Pebbles, Prose, and Pointlessness: Beckett’s Molloy and the Art of Going Nowhere

Question: have you ever sucked a pebble? Samuel Beckett’s Molloy is often heralded as a towering monument of modernist literature, though whether it’s a lighthouse of enlightenment or an impassable granite slab is a matter of perspective. This novel, the first in Beckett’s famous trilogy, plunges us into a world where sucking stones takes on existential significance … Continue reading Pebbles, Prose, and Pointlessness: Beckett’s Molloy and the Art of Going Nowhere

Alfie: The Charm, the Consequences, and the Loneliness Beneath the Swagger

A few days ago, quite by accident, I found myself watching a movie that reignited memories of a play I had already delved into some time ago. As the familiar story unfolded on screen, I felt the urge to revisit and refine my previous thoughts. Out came the metaphorical polish for an old essay, and … Continue reading Alfie: The Charm, the Consequences, and the Loneliness Beneath the Swagger

William Morris’ The Life and Death of Jason

As a child, I was utterly captivated by the enchanting world of old stop-motion movies. Films like Jason and the Argonauts, Sinbad the Sailor, and Jack the Giant Killer held me spellbound with their wondrous creatures and fantastical monsters. Each film was a gateway to a realm where mythical beings came to life, and heroes embarked on epic quests. In … Continue reading William Morris’ The Life and Death of Jason