Portia’s famous speech in "The Merchant of Venice" is the best, and best-known, evocation of the quality of mercy in the entire canon of literature, and is also the perfect curtain-raiser to the whole topic. The quality of mercy is not strained; It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It [...]
Is there a century in human history which can claim to be better than all the others? Many, especially Catholics, might argue that the thirteenth century deserves such an accolade. According to Church historian, Alan Schreck, this was “the greatest century of spiritual, cultural, and intellectual advancement in the history of Western civilization”. It was [...]
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote that he "ever loved that noble northern spirit," rooted in the myths and culture of Scandinavia, Germany and England, "and tried to present in its true light.” Indeed, he raised the noble north to the level of Athens and Rome, creating, in "The Lord of the Rings," an epic that stands alongside [...]
Insofar as we understand Plato and Aristotle, we understand where the great thinkers of Christendom, the great writers of Christendom, are coming from. If we don't understand those philosophers, we will be groping and grappling in the dark, or at least in the twilight, trying to make sense of something three or four parts removed [...]
Lovers of great children’s literature have probably read and enjoyed “The Selfish Giant” by Oscar Wilde, which Wilde had originally written for his own children, reading it to them with tears in his eyes. In the story, the Giant is healed of his selfishness by the love of a child. Angered by his discovery that [...]
Robert Lazu Kmita's "The Ultimate Quest" is a mystery story in the truest sense of the word. Confessing that the quest for the location of Paradise is not merely physical but is “theological-metaphysical”, he seeks clues from those who endeavour to read Genesis literally and those who read it allegorically, mystically, and symbolically. Many moons [...]
The English have shown themselves to be as “revolting” as the French or the Russians but for a much nobler cause. Let’s raise a glass of the best beer to those revolting Englishmen of the sixteenth century, who rose and died for the Faith of their fathers. Charles Neville, Earl of Westmoreland, who led [...]
Were Tolkien and Chesterton correct in defining the English as inherently inert and slavishly slothful? Smile at us, pay us, pass us; but do not quite forget; For we are the people of England, that never have spoken yet. —G. K. Chesterton (The Secret People) It is June 9, 1941. Britain is at war. J. [...]
It’s always exciting whenever a missing piece of the puzzle of William Shakespeare’s life comes to light. One such piece was discovered recently in a London archive by Lucy Munro, Professor of Shakespeare and Early Modern Literature at King’s College London. In doing research on the location of London playhouses, Dr. Munro stumbled upon a [...]
If we are to be truly inclusive and truly representative, we need to hone in on what it is to be truly human. What is it that unites all people across all races, all generations, and all classes at all times? The Great Books of Western Civilization are not merely artifacts to be respected and [...]
If we truly want to overcome the curse of racism, we need to begin with restoring the humanities, the voice of the human race, to their rightful place at the heart of any good, true and beautiful education. This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the premiere of Destiny, a politically-charged play by the Marxist [...]
We must not invest in the transient things of this world, the very worst of investments, but in the everlasting things of heaven. If we fight the long defeat with the things of heaven in mind, we will attain the final victory. It is this final victory that represents, for each of us, the final [...]
The Great Books bring us into communion with humanity, that expansive group of neighbours to which we owe allegiance and, in consequence, to which we owe obedience in terms of the need to give to our neighbours the love which is due to them. I’m very encouraged by the mission of Hildegard College, an undergraduate [...]
"The link between father and son is not only of the perishable flesh: it must have something of 'aeternitas' about it," J.R.R. Tolkien wrote to his son. "There is a place called ‘heaven’ where the good here unfinished is completed; and where the stories unwritten, and the hopes unfulfilled, are continued. We may laugh together [...]