The Book of Imaginary Beings, by Jorge Luis Borges, is one of several bestiary books I own. Originally published in 1957 as the Manual de zoologia fantastica, or Handbook of Fantastic Zoology, it contains such florid entities as The Lamed Wufniks — Thirty-six just men whose mission is “to justify the world to God.” They [...]
In his essay on literary criticism entitled On Criticism, in the Of Other Worlds collection, C.S. Lewis makes a distinction between intent and meaning. “It is the author who intends,” Lewis writes. “The book means.” As such, the author — not the reader or critic — is best at understanding his intent in a piece. [...]
My latest article is up at Novel Journey. This time I addressed changes in “Christian literature” and its readers, and how that process occurs, both at the micro and macro level. I entitled the piece Bambi vs. Godzilla, which may tip my hand about how I feel concerning the matter. It’s a bit risqué , [...]
Once again, pessimism has saved me. It’s been said, “A pessimist is never disappointed.” And I’m not. I recently entered the ACFW Genesis Contest and, like most, didn’t make the cut. It’s not the first writer’s contest I failed to place in and probably won’t be the last. I’ve got a file labeled “Rejection Slips” [...]
No wonder the Taliban fears democracy. It’s easier to lop the head off “stupid people” than to let them keep thinking. Perhaps that’s America’s problem: Stupid people are not only allowed to think, they’re allowed to vote. Problem is, I might be part of that demographic. Okay, so I’m reading my own conclusions into these [...]
Last week the Christy Awards were announced and I made some comments that, I’m sure, won’t endear me to some folks. Over at Becky Miller’s A Christian Worldview of Fiction, she perused the list and, as Becky is wont to do, commented on the absence of a Visionary or Sci-Fi / Fantasy category. I took [...]
Between Christmas, my birthday and winning this pool, I’ve been replenishing my CD collection. Ye olde iPod’s been doing double-time, and there ain’t a loser on the list. Here’s a thumbnail of my latest listening log: Evanescence, The Open Door — This is my first encounter with the Goth rock band. A unique blend of [...]
Just short of three months until the release of the seventh and final Harry Potter installment and J.K. Rowling is pleading for fans to keep it to themselves. But, despite the author’s appeal, spoiler sites are popping up everywhere. Some authors would die for Potter-like buzz, and even Rowlings admits it won’t stop devotees from [...]
In the comments section of my last post, Janet Rubin said: Last night I watched the movie Mulholland Dr. I’m confused, perplexed, and disturbed. Does that mean it was good? Why exactly Janet brought up Mulholland Drive when we were having such a great discussion about dog movies and gopher guts, I have no idea. [...]
Okay, in the latest round of blogger meme’s, I’ve been tagged by Ane Mulligan, Kelly Klepfer, and Becky Miller. Gee, thanks ladies. I usually don’t mind being a party pooper, but seeing these gals are especially charming, I spurned the role of curmudgeon to appease my pals. So, in order of their randomness. . . [...]
