By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The story of how the sun stood still during one of Joshua’s battles is well-known, although that battle it was and why the sun might have stood still are questions whose answers are less well-known, and, in the case of the ‘why’ question, may be ultimately unanswerable altogether.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘Out, damned spot’ is one of the most recognisable phrases uttered by Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s great tragedy. The scene mirrors Macbeth’s earlier references to his own guilt, and acts as a clear indication of how the once-defiant and determined Lady Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most fully realised female villains, has become undone by her own conscience. And she reveals all of this while she’s asleep.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘If music be the food of love, play on’: these nine words are among the most famous opening lines in all of Shakespeare, but how many people who recognise them could name the character who speaks them, or even the play which they begin?
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘The Prevention of Literature’ is perhaps George Orwell’s most famous essay defending freedom of expression. Published in January 1946 in Polemic, the essay sees Orwell calling upon intellectuals of all backgrounds and disciplines to stand up against literary censorship of various kinds.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Balaam’s ass is part of an exclusive club in the Bible: animals that can talk. The only other creature gifted with the power of speech is the serpent from the Garden of Eden story, which we have analysed here. But what’s the meaning of the story of Balaam and his talking ass? Who was Balaam, and why did his animal speak to him?