Tyrants in the Ancient Greek World
Yes, there have been tyrants for all human history. The likes of Putin are nothing new. Sadly, human nature has not advanced one iota in thousands of years. Thus, a…
Emily Dickinson & Charles Darwin
The famed literary critic Harold Bloom infamously said that he did not understand the poetry of Emily Dickinson. It is unfortunate he did not live long enough to read this…
A Cultural History of Western Music
Bloomsbury has been publishing its Cultural History series for a few years now. One recent example is the Cultural History of Music, under review here. If you are looking for…
EMMA: Love has its own agenda
The subtitle of my review headline is a line spoken by an old, old friend of Emma, who is the female lead of this Jane Austen-inspired comedy of matchmaking. While…
George M. Cohan on Olympus
In ancient Greek plays, the chorus would dance, sing, and interact with the actors who were on the stage. The chief character in George M. Cohan’s 1920 play The Tavern…
Cleopatra’s Daughter
No woman from history is more famous than Cleopatra. Her love affairs with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony are the very definition of legendary. But ask anyone about her daughter…
Ancient Roman Pandemic
In the late 1700s, John Wilkes famously responded to an insult in Parliament to the effect that he would die either “of the pox or on the gallows” by saying…
Wonder and Awe
I begin this book review with a quote from Rachel Carson, the great marine biologist and conservationist. What is the value of preserving and strengthening this sense of awe and…
The Soul Resides in the Heart
For Andrea Cesalpino (1524-1603), the soul resides in the heart. All very romantic, but in this edited book about his work, the topic of the heart comes in a chapter…
In Search of the Sublime Sandwich
That is the quest underway in this very quirky play. Entitled Clyde‘s, it is by Lynn Nottage, who has won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice. Clyde’s opened on Broadway…