John Runciman, King Lear in the Storm, 1767 Act III of Shakespeare's King Lear gets to me every time. Lear, spectacularly blinded by pride and bereft of power in his old age, having foolishly exiled one daughter and exposed himself to betrayal by the other two, retreats into a storm with his Fool and descends into madness, shaking his fist at nature, railing, “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow!” … [Read more...] about “Your crooked heart”: Literary Study and Spiritual Formation (Scholar’s Call)
imagination
Does Education Need to Have a Highest Good?
While mowing the grass on Sunday, here's the question that was put to me through my headphones: Is it possible to really have education —and hence to nourish imaginations —if schools refuse to define some highest good that is ordering educational life, some higher good that is transcendent or spiritual in some way? Maybe this isn't the typical issue that comes up during your yardwork, but it's not uncommon for me. I was listening to the current issue of Mars Hill Audio, specifically Ken Myers' interview with Anthony … [Read more...] about Does Education Need to Have a Highest Good?
A Land Full of Mystery, Danger, and Wonder
How well does film convey material from classic literature? Can film be used to introduce a book and draw people into reading or does it stall the imagination, even inoculate against digging into the original text? Any classroom or personal experience(s) to share? What brings the question to mind? The recent release of the trailer for Tim Burton giving a stab at Alice in Wonderland (2010) with Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter), Anne Hathaway (White Queen), Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen) and Mia Wasikowska (Alice). With my … [Read more...] about A Land Full of Mystery, Danger, and Wonder