Platypus of Truth

I've been interested for some time by apparent connections between "The Lord of the Rings" and Arthurian Legend.  This is a link to an article exploring that relationship in a properly nuanced way.  See what you think.

Bear with me as I try to work something out here. I was having a conversation with a fellow teacher during a prep period and when some of the students came in and dropped their gear before heading off to etiquette (the students have etiquette on Friday as a .5 unit class).  That turned the conversation toward why we teach etiquette and what sort of thing manners are (they're not morality, but are they a vehicle for expressing morality, primarily charity towards neighbor).  This is an ongoing discussion we've been having for over a year now: is part of education producing Ladies and Gentlemen; if so, what is a Lady or a Gentleman, and do they come in one variety or many? Each time we return to these questions, the subject of archetypes come up.  Are there certain cultural archetypes that can be found in literature and other media and pointed to as "ideals"?  You'll notice I use the word "ideals."  Given the diversity of humanity, my colleague and I ...

My wife and I were listening the other day to Dr. Fred Sanders give a paper of California Theological Localism.  It was one of the more technical pieces we've heard from him, and it was fun to stretch our brains a little.  If I understand it right, the main idea of Theological Localism is that place matters and will shape the theology of its inhabitants in certain ways.  This could be seen as determinative, or merely as fodder for apologetic engagement, both of which Sanders rejects as insufficient or problematic.  What exactly is wanted seems to be a theological engagement with place, specifically California, in a way that Sanders and company feel has been neglected.  If that's not clear, the fault is mine as a listener or a writer. Of course, the idea of a theology of place caught my attention and my immediate response was "someone should do this for New England."  New England, after all, is its own peculiar place with, by American standards, a long, va...

Note: This post contains a review of Fritz Leiber's "Swords in the Mist."  Those who wish to remain spoiler free should not read on. "Swords in the Mist" is the third volume of the adventures of Fafhrd and Grey Mouser, the dynamic duo created by American sci-fi and fantasy author Fritz Leiber .  While the volume does contain several short stories, the main portion of the book is a novela that details the exploits of Fafhrd and Mouser in the Seleucid Empire.  In a sci-fi twist, Leiber brings the two heroes from the world of Newhon (No When) to earth's past and pits them against a Persian adept who has fallen under the power of the evil Zoroastrian demon Ahriman (aka. Druj or :"The Lie").  I love Ancient Greece and I love Achaemenid Persia so, needless to say, my interest was piqued. Leiber pays about as much attention to historical detail as one would expect from an American 20th century fantasy writer.  There's just enough detail to make ...

It should come as no surprise that I'm a supporter, with reservations, of video/computer games as both a form of entertainment and a medium for storytelling.  I have tried to defend, via personal anecdotes , gamers from being tared with the same brush as time-wasters, lazy, immature, and disconnected from real life.  That said, my experience as a teacher has presented me with counter-anecdotes.  While I have encountered many students who game as part of a balanced existence, there are examples that stand out in my mind of time-wasting, laziness, immaturity, and disconnect from real life.  Humor me as I talk about that end of the equation. I have met many students who genuinely struggle with limiting themselves when it comes to gaming.  I've met some adults who fit that profile too.  Children and adults both struggle with issues of continence.  We like what we like, and we all have trouble saying no to more of something we like.  That's a proble...