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Contemporary Books Count

Popular literature has the power to refresh us. It is both a break from, and preparation for the very same mysteries that are explored in the more refined kinds of literature.

Eulexia: The Goal of Deep Reading

Last night my wife Janet and I were chatting when she said something that made me jump up from my chair, snatch from its place a well-thumbed book, and start flipping through the pages. “Why is that?” she said, “…if it’s true. Why is the ‘faker’ the one with the broad theories and the ‘expert’ the one who hesitates except to answer narrow questions?” I knew the chapter, the author, I wanted; the white-bordered purple cover with the 15th-century illuminated manuscript detail, the smooth feel of the clean-cut seven hundred…

In Praise of Poetry

At The Heights, boys write their own poetry and perform famous poems from the past. Having taught Literature here for the past six years, I can confidently assert that poetry has a pride of place in our Literature curriculum. I give you my thoughts on the why and the how of teaching poetry. Our culture has no idea what poetry is anymore. We have watered the definition down to include everything from saccharine Hallmark cards to misogynistic and violent rap. Poetry is the exquisite expression of timeless truths, compelling stories, or…