All articles from Common Reader
Why is Rear Window so tense?
The central critical question about Rear Window is: what makes it so compelling? For the first part of the film, nothing happens. The murder only happens a quarter of the way into the film, and it is doubted for most of the duration. From the opening frame, behind the credits, we can see people movi
What is the Odyssey about?
This piece would usually be paywalled, but while I work out the conditions of my visa I am keeping the paywall off of posts like this for now. I shall update you soon. My thanks for your forbearance.The next Jane Austen book club will now be on 28th September not 7th September. On 14th September the
Talking about taste
I enjoyed this discussion with Colin McEnroe (a very good host: he quotes Shakespeare off the cuff as well as the Rocky movies) and very much. Becca is an excellent critic and the whole thing was very enjoyable for me. We talked about what good taste is, whether everyone can cultivate taste, if it's
Literature is calling you to put down your phone.
Literature is calling you to put down your phone; ignore the culture wars; block out the secondhand musings of newspaper philosophers. Turn to the great works of civilisation. See that your life is a quest for meaning. Become as ambitious as the poets whose work outlived empires.Rome, Greece, and Re
Mrs Warren's Profession. A splendid play performed almost pefectly.
Imelda Staunton's performance in Mrs Warren's Profession at the Garrick Theatre is one of the best that I have seen for several years. She has the ability to convey every nuance of Shaw's play, a demanding piece of work, and she never relies on mere intensity, anger, or loudness instead of tone, int
I'm joining a fellowship at the Mercatus Centre.
We've packed our bags, got rid of a thousand books, freecycled a dozen items of furniture, and stored a truck full of lego, (more damned) books, and a George III tall-boy at my in-laws. We are housesitting for some kind friends while we wait for the paperwork to arrive. And when the visa is here, (f
Shakespeare's Characters and the Wheel of Fire
Today I am delighted to bring you a guest post by who writes the Substack. John summarises a tradition of Shakespeare scholarship from Hegel to Bloom, and looks at its counterpart, notably in G. Wilson Knight. Normally there would be a paywall on something like this, but I want this to be open, so i
What is spite?
In her 'Notes on Spite', has suggested a productive new area for enquiry. What are the great works of art and literary criticism about spite? Hollis says "Spite may be the most undertheorized force in creative achievement." Is that because spite is so hard to define? Even Johnson could only manage a
Willa Cather's case for reading the great books
On the evenings when there was no whist at the Forresters', Niel usually sat in his room and read,—but not law, as he was supposed to do. The winter before, when the Forresters were away, and one dull day dragged after another, he had come upon a copious diversion, an almost inexhaustible resource.