Category Archives: literature classics

Homer, Kierkegaard, Dostoyevski, Tolkien, Lewis, Rowling

We’ve kiss’d away kingdoms!

Posted on August 16, 2008 by jlh

Part 1 It’s been awhile since I spent serious time with Shakespeare, which I find cleansing, rigorous—aerobic exercise for mind and spirit. So I recently tackled Antony and Cleopatra, reading and re-reading. Then I hear the newsbyte that John Edwards … Continue reading →

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From the tower looking out on the Sea

Posted on June 4, 2008 by jlh

1008 pages! I finished my semi-annual reading of Lord of the Rings. Not the 130 pages of appendices. Not The Silmarillion. That book’s a little dense for me, or I’m too dense for it, maybe. I’ve read that Tolkien believed … Continue reading →

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When the heart is hard and parched

Posted on May 23, 2008 by jlh

When the heart is hard and parched, come upon me with a shower of mercy. When grace is lost from life, come with a burst of song. When tumultuous work raises its din on all sides, shutting me out from … Continue reading →

Posted in literature classics, Spiritual life | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Of the Ring in the road, chocolate and reading

Posted on May 22, 2008 by jlh

I’m making good progress in LOTR. The orcs have Frodo in custody, Aragorn and the Dunedain have taken the paths of the dead, and the Rohirrim are about to ride. Sam reveals that Frodo bears the Ring to Faramir, Boromir’s … Continue reading →

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Seeking a Myth of Peace

Posted on May 20, 2008 by jlh

I’m doing my annual read of Lord of the Rings, a myth of war. Soldiers of Peace? As much as I love Tolkien, I realize (1) he wrote when his city was being bombed by the Germans and his son … Continue reading →

Posted in literature classics, social issues, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments