Jan 13, 2012

Posted by in Literature & Literary Apologetics | 6 Comments

Miscellany 20: Rejoicing in Books

This Miscellany is all about rejoicing in books. Here is a splendid reminder of the importance of books in the home: a study indicating that “Regular access to books has a direct impact on pupils’ results, irrespective of parents’ own education, occupation and social class.” One of the things I’m most grateful for, in my childhood, is that my parents always...

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Jan 11, 2012

Posted by in Literature & Literary Apologetics, New poetry | 2 Comments

If Life Is a Story

Shakespeare has his character Jaques in As You Like It declare that “All the world’s a stage, / And all the men and women merely players”. Those lines are sometimes quoted out of context with a kind of blind enthusiasm for drama as a source of meaning in life, but in the play, Jaques mercilessly goes through the seven ages of man, concluding with “Last scene...

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Jan 7, 2012

Posted by in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Top Seven Posts from 2011

Here is a selection of seven of the most-read posts of 2011. In the (hopeful) presumption people liked them on the first go-round, I’ve listed them here, so that if there’s something interesting that you missed, you can read it now. (I am pleased to note that several of the most-read post are also particular favorites of mine!) The Spiritual Journey in Dante’s Divine Comedy....

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Jan 6, 2012

Posted by in New poetry | 0 Comments

A Sonnet for The Kilns

A Sonnet for The Kilns

As I write this, I am staying at The Kilns as a Scholar in Residence through the CS Lewis Foundation. It’s my first visit to The Kilns, and it’s marvelous. The house has been lovingly restored by volunteer labor to be much as possible how it was when CS Lewis and his brother Warnie lived here. None of the original furniture is here (it was sold off at auction at...

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Jan 3, 2012

Posted by in Guest Post, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Most-Read Guest Posts of 2011

One of the things I’m quite pleased about for Hieropraxis is that in 2011 I managed to cadge a substantial number of really excellent pieces from various friends. Here are some of the most-viewed posts from the work of my Hieropraxis friends: a kind of ‘best-of’ in case you missed any of these when they first appeared: Surprised by Tolkien by Mary Mueller. In Enlivened by...

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Jan 1, 2012

Posted by in New poetry | 0 Comments

Three Sonnets Inspired by Charles Williams

As I write this, I am at the Kilns, CS Lewis’ home, as a Scholar in Residence through the CS Lewis Foundation (which owns the Kilns and has made it the site of the CS Lewis Study Centre). Some of the work I’m doing here in my short stay is on Charles Williams, one of the Inklings and a very important thinker and writer in his own right. This fall, several of the sonnets...

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Dec 31, 2011

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Miscellany 19: Social Media and Community

It is the last day of 2011: tomorrow begins 2012. (Ever since 2010 I’ve felt a little touch of the science-fictional every time I write the year…). Happy New Year! Now let’s see what’s in the Miscellany… Is Twitter a trap? A New York Times article lays out a convincing argument for why Twitter can be very bad indeed for one’s brain, and for one’s...

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