The Painful Nowning Process

Check out this guy Scott W. Kay on some factors that may be preventing evangelical Christians from producing great literature, including lack of imagination, shaky grounding in theology, and lack of exposure to great literature of all kinds. He cites Flannery O’Connor and Camille Paglia—strange companions, indeed! John Piper responds to the same Touchstone article that set Kay off, exploring how fiction and art are “true and valuable.”

Speaking of reading great literature, Ken Morefield is up to chapter three in Jane Austen’s Emma. The less said about his reaction to the Austen-bio-fiction film Becoming Jane, however, the better!

It depends on what you mean by “dreadful”! Paul Spears explains why Harry Potter is dreadful and vulgar and that’s a good thing. It’s all in Chesterton, says Spears:

So much of what is considered important and thought provoking in sophisticate literary circles is really just a veneer over truly despicable ideas….

It is good that Harry Potter is dreadful and vulgar. It appeals to those of humanity who, according to Chesterton, “have never doubted and never will doubt that courage is splendid, that fidelity is noble, that distressed ladies should be rescued, and vanquished enemies spared.”

Made my day! Now I’m off to see Stardust—which I hope will be similarly “dreadful” in a good way.

Become Robin Swicord and write and direct plays and films, such as Little Women and two forthcoming projects related to the works of Jane Austen.

Ms. Swicord began writing and making short films when she was at Florida State University, studying English literature and Theater.

The book on which Swicord’s next movie is based, The Jane Austen Book Club, by Karen Joy Fowler, is a pretty good read, too. Who knows how the movie will turn out, but the cast looks good.

I’m catching up on work this week after a long weekend on Edisto Island with my in-laws. We enjoyed visiting (including an afternoon with my dad, who drove down from Summerville) and typical beach activities. On the way home, my husband and I and his sister’s family stopped to see the Edisto Island Serpentarium, just in time for the snake show and the alligator feeding. Fun AND educational. We recommend it—at least for those who don’t mind reptiles.

My dad brought a DVD preserving a film made in the mid-70’s (we think) which shows my grandfather’s mobile eye clinics in India. My grandfather died in the late 80’s, but the mobile eye service is still in use in India. What a joy to see him and my grandmother again in this movie—not to mention some footage of my 25-years-younger father. We’ll treasure this bit of family history!

The Arthurian Legends course has left the foundational medieval texts and is moving into the modern era this week, starting with Tennyson’s Idylls of the King.

Thanks again to my book-a-day calendar, as well as the local county library, this week I’m pleased to recommend:

Black Robe, by Brian Moore—the store of a 17th century Jesuit missionary venturing into deepest, darkest Canada. Made into an equally compelling film, directed by Bruce Beresford.

Always interested in a good mystery. The Mourning Sexton, by Michael Baron, is a “legal thriller…set in the world of Orthodox Judaism.” Described as delving into “themes like sin, redemption and justice…complicated, gripping and intelligent.” Who can resist that?

This one is for my nephew about to start his sophomore year at the Naval Academy—To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World, by Arthur Herman. My brother-in-law and his dad might enjoy it as well.

The book I’m actually reading right now was on best-seller lists a few years ago: The Bonesetter’s Daughter, by Amy Tan. She has a way of making individual and particular cultural experiences universal.

The Galaxy Theater, that is. This closest independent movie theater to where we live is still a good 40 minute drive on most days, but with six screens, they can offer so much more variety than other indie theaters in the area, including South Asian  (Bollywood) films and special events such as chats with directors.

The other day I met a friend for a matinee, and when I pulled my ticket stub out of my pocket, I discovered that the theater also helps prompt after-the-movie discussion. Printed on the ticket stub: “On [date] at [time] I saw Waitress and it changed how I felt about _________ “  Now, I can’t say that this particular film changed my views on anything, though it did make me hungry, because a lot of delicious pies are either baked or described. Flip the ticket over, and behold!–it becomes a 10% off coupon at two Indian restaurants and an Indian grocery.

Beat that, gigantic 20-screen multiplex.