Category Archives: Literature

The Once and Future Ruler: from King Arthur to… 2024?

Posted on June 20, 2022 by politicswestchesterview

Do you remember T. H. White’s 4-part novel The Once and Future King? It’s about the legendary British ruler King Arthur, possibly based chieftain of around 600 AD. White’s contribution to the vast Arthurian literature is partly derived from Sir … Continue reading →

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Moby-Dick and American democracy

Posted on October 11, 2017 by politicswestchesterview

Way back in high school, I had English teachers who were as obsessed with Moby-Dick as was Captain Ahab with the great white whale. Rereading it now, I see a lot of things I missed before, like Herman Melville’s rhetorical … Continue reading →

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The Lord of the Flies and US political life

Posted on September 9, 2012 by politicswestchesterview

William Golding’s 1954 novel The Lord of the Flies–which I just reread–depicts boys stranded without adults on a tropical island. The boys prove far less marked by civilization than the prototypical fictional strandee Robinson Crusoe, and far less skilled at … Continue reading →

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