A Few Good Finds: Second Edition
A month of noteworthy Substack posts
There are exciting things in the works here at the Mournful Wood. I am in the midst of developing a close reading of a monologue from Shakespeare’s Henry V that should be be ready for publication next week. I’m also preparing to write a recommendation for a Japanese work on aesthetics, In Praise of Shadows. In the meantime, please take a look at these remarkable Substack contributors.
I was thrilled to discover Michael Wilcher, whose byline is: Poetics : Metaphysics | University of Cambridge. Watch for his essays on Shakespeare and poetic devices. He’s the genuine article, so far as I can tell.
I learned that another writer on here, Julia Sampaio, also wrote her undergraduate thesis on Richard II. Look for her essays on Shakespeare, including her recent work on A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
There is good work being done at the The Dickens Project, particularly to promote the study of his works at the undergraduate level.
Jay Parini wrote a splendid essay on the art of rereading.
Mariana at marianaownroom always has interesting observations on the classics, and her essay on Euripides’s Hecuba inspired me to read the play this month.
Kilby Austin’s poetry has been consistently worth reading, but I’ve been especially enjoying her recent work.
I am anticipating an essay on Aeschylus and Shakespeare from E.J. Hutchinson, but in the meantime I discovered Victor Hugo’s thoughts on Aeschylus and Hamlet .
Finally, take a look at this magnificent still-life by Monet. Happy reading.
Thank you so much. And I can't wait to read your text on Henry V. I wanted to ask you, I recently read (try, but leave it at the second act) Troilus and Cressida, but it was really hard to connect with how Shakespeare treats the figure of heroes there. Have you read it? What are your thoughts on that?