Platypus of Truth

There have been some interesting goings-on in the greater Houston area this past month that are worthy of note. First, the Lanier Theological Library is back in full swing with a new season of lectures.  If you can make it out to this wonderful little replica of the Duke Humphrey, it's well worth your time.  Can't get to North Houston?  The lectures are posted on the website here .  The library is also offering a Hebrew reading course with their visiting scholar, Dr. Tov. Second, Wheastone Ministries , Dr. John-Mark Reynolds of Houston Baptist University , and Providence Classical Schoo l partnered up on Friday to host an amazing event for parents who are seeking to classically educate their children. Houston is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S., and it will be interesting to watch what happens over the next decade as more institutions and individuals from other areas are drawn there to connect and collaborate.

So, I've been working my way piecemeal through Blackwell's A Companion to Ancient Epic and noticed that Michael C. J. Putnam's take on the Aeneid seems to match fairly well with Ursula K. Le Guin's in her novel Lavinia .  Both seem to see the Aeneid as a tragic work with it's titular hero failing (perhaps inevitably) to fulfill Anchises mandate to war down the proud but pardon the defeated.  I already enjoyed Le Guin's take on the classic work, but seeing Putnam spell out the case for a more pessimistic Aeneid definitely increases my appreciation for her approach (deconstruct that as you will).  Both works are contributing to my appreciation of Virgil's masterpiece as my wife and I read through Fagles' enchanting translation this Fall (I've read Hatto and Mendlebaum prior to this).  I've never been as enthusiastic about Virgil as I have about Homer, so new insights on how to approach the man from Mantua are always welcome.  

This post will cover chapters XXIII, XXIV, and XXV of Terry Brooks' Talismans of Shannara . *Spoilers ahead* With Padishar Creel found, Morgan and Co. are now free to track down Par Ohmsford (and maybe Coll, poor fellow).  Being the odd assortment of dysfunctional adolescents that they are, this leads to lots of moody bickering.  One might expect Morgan's experiences up North to have matured him.  One might expect Matty and Damson's long history with the Freeborn to have hardened them into disciplined fighters, wise beyond their years.  No.  Instead, we watch Matty poke Morgan's ego, Morgan bluster, and both women sue the poor highlander for Radical Emotional Intimacy .  This might work if they were all in college...  The problem is they're not. This all brings up the question of audience.  Who is the intended audience for this novel?  When I was 13, this stuff worked just fine.  Being a teenager was almost as mysterious as being ...

Today's post will cover chapters XVIII through XXIII of Terry Brooks' The Talismans of Shannara , part four of the Heritage Series. *Thar be spoilerz ahead me hearties!* This section brings us further conflict between the Elves and the Federation.  We also see Walker Boh defeat the Four Horsemen at the cost of Cogline's life.  With the last of his connections to his old life stripped away, Walker's transformation into "the druid of Shannara" is complete.  The rest of these chapters is spent with the Freeborn and their quest to bust Padishar out of the clink.  This they succeed in doing with fine fighting flair leaving Damson and Morgan (and Matty) free to pursue Par Ohmsford.  The big question we're still left with is "what has become of Par and Coll?" With many of the original supporting characters killed off if the first three volumes (and now Cogline too), Brooks is obliged to bring in a cast of relative light-weights and second-stringe...

My academic background is in Greek history and literature.  Even though my duties often require me to spend time elsewhere, I make sure to devote as much time as I can each day to keeping up with my field.  That means I tend to be the go-to guy at work for questions about all things Greek (We have a couple others that fill that role as well).  When I'm reading, then, I try to keep an eye out for things that would be helpful to a beginning student of the Ancient Greeks.  Below are some books I've found helpful over the years as first steps in beginning to understand the Greeks and their literature. For a basic history of Ancient Greece, I recommend starting with Thomas R. Martin's Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times . Ancient Greece walks you through the development of Ancient Greek culture in chronological order and alerts first-time students to the major points of interest.  Martin's book should be supplemented with The Oxford Illustrated H...

Well, we have a bit of an inevitable slowdown with the commencement of the academic year but things will march on at The Platypus of Truth.  So, bobbing up to the surface again to peer about, here's what up.  My reading of The Talismans of Shannara is stopped at chapter XVIII.  That brings us almost half way through the book.  Without further ado, let's get on to the review. *Spoilers* Chapter 10 narrates Walker's decision to try and break the siege of Paranor.  Predictably, this first plan fails.  The scene is well-narrated in a way that compensates for its predictability and the assurance at the end that Walker has learned something from the episode keeps up our interest. Jumping locations, the next chapter features Morgan's plan for breaking Padishar out of the slammer (yet again).  Damson seeks to force herself into Morgan's confidence in order to speed up the rescue process and force a little emotional healing on him in time for the still ...