My preliminary picks for the five most important authors of the 20th Century: -J.R.R. Tolkien-Edgar Rice Burroughs-Agatha Christie-Raymond Chandler-H.P. Lovecraft (A case could be made for H.G. Wells, except that his most important works were almost all written at the tail-end of the 19th century)
Agatha Christie
Detective Philosophy at ‘The Everyman’
My latest essay (first in a little while) is now up at The Everyman, this one critiquing our tendency to insist that this, that, or the other fact 'doesn't matter' by applying the analogy of detective literature. I read a lot of detective fiction (I also write it, though I’ve written much less than I’ve … Continue reading Detective Philosophy at ‘The Everyman’
Friday Flotsam: Another Odd Fact, Villains, and Agatha Christie Quotes
1. An odd rollercoaster of a week; I had some days of great consolation and happy productivity, and others of intense depression and extreme lethargy, where I simply could not seem to get anything done. At the moment I’m mostly okay, but yeesh, I really feel the need of a change. 2. Got into an … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Another Odd Fact, Villains, and Agatha Christie Quotes
Thoughts on ‘The Secret of Chimneys’
Dame Agatha Christie was a highly prolific authoress. In addition to her cozy mysteries featuring M. Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple, she also wrote plenty of other mysteries and a number of books that could be classified more as thrillers or spy fiction. These tend not to be regarded as her best work on … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘The Secret of Chimneys’
“Tonight, I Am Nemesis”
Revenge stories never grow old. Though as Christians we know that wrath is a sin and vengeance belongs to the Lord, yet we still get a visceral satisfaction from a well-told tale of revenge. Don't believe me? Go read The Count of Monte Christo. We may deplore it morally, but...well, it feel rights. This isn't … Continue reading “Tonight, I Am Nemesis”
Saturday Surfeit: Collective Natures
1. Obviously missed yesterday. Not anything serious, just sort of got distracted. 2. One of the great mistakes of modern thought, it seems to me, is in the dichotomy of collectivism vs. individualism. See, the trouble is that thinking in either term misses key facts about human nature and the nature of things in general. … Continue reading Saturday Surfeit: Collective Natures
Friday Flotsam: Dean Koontz and more Agatha Christie
1. It has been an odd week for me. I've been strangely listless and unable to settle down to anything (I mean, more so than usual). I really don't know what to ascribe it to: depression, anxiety, medication side-effects, or just old-fashioned vice. Suppose the only way to find out is simply to keep working … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Dean Koontz and more Agatha Christie
Friday (Saturday) Flotsam: Agatha Christie
1. Missed yesterday, obviously. I'm currently on a kind of personal mini-retreat at my sister's, which meant being on the road or otherwise occupied for the past few days. 2. On the way up I listened to the Miss Marple novel They Do it With Mirrors. It isn't one of Dame Agatha Christie's best (I … Continue reading Friday (Saturday) Flotsam: Agatha Christie
Serpent's Den 