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Check Your (Authorial) Privilege
It is reasonable to suggest that the deep roots of the New Criticism–the position that what matters for the critical task is “the text,”…

“Bach did not intend to compose musical works”
My title is one of the famous, controversial sentences from a famous (amongst a certain crowd), controversial book, which I heartily commend to you…

“O Cosmic King”: A Greek Christian Prayer in Verse
For “Melanchthon Monday” this week I’m calling an audible; there is no Melanchthon at all. Sad, I know. But I have something for you…

The Tragedy of Politics
In his Parallel Lives, Plutarch links Theseus, the legendary King of Athens, with Romulus, the first (legendary?) King of Rome. As is the case…

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies and the Paradox of Politics
A couple of weeks ago, President Biden announced that he was at last going to put the massive and seemingly unlimited powers of the…