When a monk asks you a question, it’s generally wise to listen. I learned this lesson on my annual silent retreat at the monastery of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist in Cambridge, MA. During his sermon on the…
In the recent Cinderella (2015), directed by Kenneth Branagh (Thor, Hamlet), Disney reminds viewers of the age-old story, where a beautiful young maiden ascends from being an ignored servant to being a beloved princess. The film, though, was both entertaining…
Teaching allegory is always a bit of an uphill battle. I used to think that allegory was difficult for students because they simply weren’t used to reading complex texts; this was certainly the case for most of my undergraduates. But…
Terry Eagleton, Culture and the Death of God, Yale University Press, New Haven and London 2014, pgs. 208 $19.99 Hardcover ISBN 978-0-300-20399-8 Terry Eagleton made his name in British criticism as the principal (and often only) high profile revolutionary socialist…
Is there something both playful and serious about death? The answer to this question is artfully demonstrated by Cuban-born artist Félix González-Torres. His Portrait of Ross in L.A. is a playful monument to Torres’ long-term partner Ross Laycock, who died…
In a famous passage from his Philosophical Investigations, Ludwig Wittgenstein explores a limitation of language: “Describe the aroma of coffee. Why can’t it be done? Do we lack the words? And for what are words lacking? But how do we…
Our culture is, whether we know it or not, a Romantic culture, indeed, a revolutionary culture, that is, one predicated on the rejection of neo-classical restrictions. And the gem, the diamond, in the center of the Romantic revolt is the…
Roger Lundin. Beginning With the Word: Modern Literature and the Question of Belief. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014, 272 pp., £14.99 pbk. In an attempt to defend the Christian understanding of a reasonably and narratively structured cosmos, Roger Lundin merges…
Transpositions is excited to provide a platform for established as well as upcoming poets whose work pushes forward our own collective interest in the areas of theology, imagination, and the arts. Today, we offer two new poems from Malcolm Guite. How To…