If you have never tried a novel by Thomas Hardy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hardy) start with The Return of the Native (1878). Its themes of sexual politics, thwarted desire, and the conflicting demands of nature and society mark it out with a modern character. Still underlying is the trademark sense of foreboding and classical tragedy. Hardy’s landscape descriptions of […]
The Return of the Native Read More »
Barnes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Barnes and http://www.julianbarnes.com/) may have equals on the English language literary scene but none, I think, better. Here he dissects the sense of his own mortality in a crafted prose that is breathtaking in its poise and elegance. He asks if the fear of death is ‘the most rational thing in the world’, how does one contend
Nothing to be frightened of Read More »
We are all familiar with John 18:38 where Pontius Pilate asks Jesus ‘What is Truth’. That particular question is as old as philosophy itself. What does it mean to be truthful? What role does truth play in our lives? What do we lose if we reject truthfulness? No modern philosopher is better suited to answer
Truth and Truthfulness by Bernard Williams Read More »
The Natural History of Human Co-operation If you have ever been worried by the argument that all human behaviour is ‘genetically determined’, this could be the antidote. Without ever departing from the theory of evolution Pagel (Head of Bioinfomatics at Reading University) argues that art, music, religion and morality have truly constituted what it is
If you enjoy your crime fiction hard boiled and street tough try this one for size. The synopsis is as follows. Maureen Coughlin is in a rut. At twenty-nine, the strong Staten Island native fears she may become a ‘lifer’ at the Narrows, the faux-swank bar where she waits tables five nights a week. Nursing
The Devil She Knows Read More »
The ideas of deep thinkers in religion are often at great variance from the average congregational member. Here, John Macquarrie (d.2007, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Macquarrie and http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/world/europe/03macquarrie.html?_r=0), Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Oxford, gives us a superb account of exactly those theories which have been at the frontiers of religious thought in the twentieth century. You may be surprised
Twentieth Century Religious Thought by John Macquarrie Read More »
For the lover of travel writing Patrick Leigh Fermor is iconic, an intriguing blend of romance and mindfulness. He could be Matthew Arnold’s scholar gypsy of the twentieth century. In ravishing prose he recalls adventures walking all over Europe in titles such as A Time of Gifts, Between the Woods and the Water, and Mani:
Patrick Leigh Fermor Read More »
Alfred North Whitehead (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_North_Whitehead) was one of the most brilliant minds of his age. In Adventures of Ideas (1933) he offers the most accessible statement of his conception of ‘process philosophy’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_philosophy). In a nutshell this challenges over 2000 years of popular philosophical assumptions. Namely, he rejects those philosophies that value static notions of being over
Adventures of Ideas by Alfred North Whitehead Read More »
The runaway success of last year. Even if you do not read this for its fictional value it might offer protective insight into the sexual fantasies (one must be careful to say) of some women. Overwhelmed by the wealth and sophistication of businessman Christian Grey, ingénue Anastasia Steele is lured into a simpering compliance with
Fifty Shades of Grey Read More »
