Christina Rossetti - she always did have a knack for wrapping melancholy in silk and leaving us to untangle the knots. Her poem here, with its mournful musings and botanical regrets, is no exception. It’s a lament, to be sure, but one that blooms with quiet beauty even as it wilts under the frost of … Continue reading Tending Life’s Garden: A Reflection on Christina Rossetti’s Warning
Tag: existential
Through Hell and High Water: A Wanderer’s Musings on Dante’s Inferno
I have long been of the opinion that if one is to take a trip, one ought to choose the destination with care. A sojourn in Tuscany, perhaps; a jaunt through the Alps; or, at the very least, an unhurried ramble through the English countryside, where the only fiery pits one encounters are the embers … Continue reading Through Hell and High Water: A Wanderer’s Musings on Dante’s Inferno
Mild Indifference and Arse-Breathing: A Reflection on Peter Høeg’s Observations
The following quote is from Peter Høeg’s short story Reflection of a Young Man in Balance, which is part of his collection, Tales of the Night (“Fortællinger om Natten” in Danish). The collection explores themes of love, identity, and existential reflection, often with a lyrical and philosophical style. However, as I’m using this quote in … Continue reading Mild Indifference and Arse-Breathing: A Reflection on Peter Høeg’s Observations
The Agonising Genius of Blaise Pascal: A Personal Ramble Through Pensées
Last year, I stumbled upon this little gem on Amazon, priced at the princely sum of 23p. Naturally, I couldn’t resist - who could, at such a bargain? It brought back a flood of memories from years ago when an English teacher handed me a tattered old copy, its pages barely holding together. Where that … Continue reading The Agonising Genius of Blaise Pascal: A Personal Ramble Through Pensées
Death by Drapery: Tolstoy’s Morbid Masterpiece and the Mediocrity of Ivan Ilyich
The Death of Ivan Ilyich, or as I like to call it, 'How to Have a Midlife Crisis While Actively Dying.' This novella by Tolstoy is less a story and more a literary post-mortem of a man who spends his life climbing the social ladder only to realise, with the grim clarity of impending death, … Continue reading Death by Drapery: Tolstoy’s Morbid Masterpiece and the Mediocrity of Ivan Ilyich
Wording 