"The Monk's Tale" is another experimentation in form -this time the formal subject is biography. In a certain light, the tale is a parody of Bocaccio's Concerning the Falls of Illustrious Men, or even Plutarch's Lives. After the conclusion of the previous tale (i.e. the pilgrim named Chaucer's second tale) the Host exclaims that he … Continue reading Seventeen Tragic Biographies in The Monk’s Tale
Author: Great Books Guy
Fantasia
Fantasia (1940) Director: Various "What you're going to see are the designs and pictures and stories that music inspired in the minds and imaginations of a group of artists. In other words, these are not going to be the interpretations of trained musicians which I think is all to the good." ★★★★★ Remarkably, Fantasia is … Continue reading Fantasia
Mrs. Miniver
Mrs. Miniver (1942) Director: William Wyler "...this is not only a war of soldiers in uniform. It is the war of the people, of all the people. And it must be fought not only on the battlefield, but in the cities and in the villages, in the factories and on the farms, in the home … Continue reading Mrs. Miniver
The Story Behind “Auld Lang Syne”
The words for "Auld Lang Syne" come from a Robert "Rabbie" Burns Scottish poem written in 1788, though he claimed to have written it down from an elderly man -an "old song" of "olden times." It is a song of nostalgic memories. The poem's title may be translated into English as "old long since" or … Continue reading The Story Behind “Auld Lang Syne”
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) Director: Gore Verbinski "This Is The Day You Will Always Remember As The Day You Almost Caught Captain Jack Sparrow" ★★★☆☆ The first installment of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean is a fun adventure, albeit excessively reliant on computer-generated-imagery. It is a welcome return … Continue reading Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Political Theology in the Bible: An Exegesis
The account of human life described and, at times, advocated throughout the Bible is a radically different vision from political philosophy offered to us in the writings of Plato and Aristotle. In the Bible, an infinitely distant God creates the world and then places humans in it. He is an artisan and a poet -He … Continue reading Political Theology in the Bible: An Exegesis
