Monthly Archives: March 2019

“The room seemed suddenly very hot and I saw Mrs. Gray’s face rather too close to mine, her eyes wide open and penetrating, her teeth very small and pointed, her skin a smooth apricot colour.”

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Kate Stover

Why do some novels draw me back year after year, while others – perhaps even more worthy – do not? Maybe, as the NPR commentator noted, returning to books read multiple times is like having a drink with an old … Continue reading →

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“The power of poetry is, by a single word perhaps, to instill that energy into the mind which compels the imagination to produce the picture.”

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Kate Stover

The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge gave a series of lectures on Shakespeare in 1811-1812. In this particular lecture, Coleridge says that he considers The Tempest to be “among the ideal” plays because it “appeals to the imagination.”  Coleridge believes that … Continue reading →

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“Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”

Posted on March 3, 2019 by Kate Stover

It’s been a long winter for many of us; we’re weighed down by boots, shovels, and ice scrapers. If you are looking for words of encouragement, consider Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Self-Reliance.” It is (among other things) a pep talk … Continue reading →

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