With the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons, a slough of changes took effect across Britain. Old English replaced Latin as the lingua franca, the island of Brittania was renamed Aengla Land after the Angles, and perhaps most significantly, there was a political shift. The Saxons brought with them the idea of kingship by consent. That is, … Continue reading Anglo-Saxon England, Part II
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Anglo-Saxon England, Part I
After the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, first spurred by the Visigothic sack of Rome in AD 410 followed by the collapse of the western Empire in AD 476, a cloud of darkness overcame the island of Britain. Very little writing or culture emerged as the world of the Britons became immersed in … Continue reading Anglo-Saxon England, Part I
An Appeal to Common Wisdom in the Final Tale: The Parson’s Tale
The "Parson's Tale" is the final story of The Canterbury Tales. In the "General Prologue," the Parson is described as a 'good man of religion.' He is erudite, scholarly, devout, and forgiving. The Parson believes that in order to be a good priest he must be perfect, because sheep follow their shepherd, but only if … Continue reading An Appeal to Common Wisdom in the Final Tale: The Parson’s Tale
Gone With The Wind: An American Epic of Nostalgia and Survivalism
"...tomorrow is another day." In a rare interview with the Atlanta Journal in 1936, Margaret "Peggy" Mitchell described her debut (and only) novel, Gone With The Wind, as "the story of a girl named Scarlett O’Hara, who lived in Atlanta during the Civil War and the days of Reconstruction. The book isn’t strictly a book … Continue reading Gone With The Wind: An American Epic of Nostalgia and Survivalism
What Is A Eulogy? Ethos, Pathos, and Logos In Pericles’s Funeral Oration Speech
Thucydides offers one-hundred and forty-one speeches in his monumental history of the Peloponnesian War, yet the early eulogy offered by Pericles (in Book II) is surely the most famous. The word "eulogy" comes down to us from the Greek word eulogia meaning to offer praise, or even high praise. Pericles delivers his famous eulogy, the … Continue reading What Is A Eulogy? Ethos, Pathos, and Logos In Pericles’s Funeral Oration Speech
The Principle of Exchange in The Shipman’s Tale
The Shipman is a western man, perhaps hailing from Dartmouth (as Chaucer suggests in the "General Prologue"). He is a modest man, riding a cart horse, and wearing a wool cloth with a dagger around his neck. He is a "good felawe." On his way to the pilgrimage had stolen a good deal of wine … Continue reading The Principle of Exchange in The Shipman’s Tale
