"The Highest Form of Thought"

The Dangers of Reading Without Historical Sense

"But a large number of those who might otherwise read and enjoy Dickens are undoubtedly "put off" (as the phrase goes) by the fact that he seems to be echoing a poor kind of claptrap in his choice of incidents and images. Partly, of course, he suffers from the very fact of his success; his play with these topics was so good that every one else has played with them increasingly since; he may indeed have copied the old jokes, but he certainly renewed them. For instance, "Ally Sloper" was certainly copied from Wilkins Micawber. To this day you may see (in the front page of that fine periodical) the bald head and the high shirt collar that betray the high original from which "Ally Sloper" is derived. But exactly because "Sloper" was stolen from Micawber, for that very reason the new generation feels as if Micawber were stolen from "Sloper." Many modern readers feel as if Dickens were copying the comic papers, whereas in truth the comic papers are still copying Dickens." --GKC, Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens.

Gold Leaves

Gold Leaves

Lo! I am come to autumn,
When all the leaves are gold;
Grey hairs and golden leaves cry out
The year and I are old.
In youth I sought the prince of men,
Captain in cosmic wars,
Our Titan, even the weeds would show
Defiant, to the stars.
But now a great thing in the street
Seems any human nod,
Where shift in strange democracy
The million masks of God.
In youth I sought the golden flower
Hidden in wood or wold,
But I am come to autumn,
When all the leaves are gold.

--G.K. Chesterton: The Wild Knight and Other Poems

Trotting Out Some Turkeys

Remember When This Blog Was All About Action Figures?

Many years ago (in 1982, in fact) my brothers, sister, and I all banded together to see Jim Henson's "The Dark Crystal." It was a fun experience, marred only by the loud father behind us explaining the movie to his kids, and constantly referring to the Mystics as "the armadillos" (you must remember, this was in Texas). We were at the height of the Kenner Star Wars action figure phase, and I longed for action figures of Gelflings, Mystics, and Skesis to flesh out my scanty Fantasy figures.

Over the years there have appeared some disappointing entries: some oddly colored figures of Jen and a Pod Person, the Chamberlain from NECA. But now that I have no money to spend on them Funko ReAction Figures has produced a line (and in the tradition of Kenner figures, at that). Perhaps in time I'll be able to afford them, but they'll probably be scarce and much more expensive by then. But, until then, I can at least gaze longingly at them.

Words of the Day

Time Change

From "Twelfth Night," by William Shakespeare

Clown:
Good madonna, why mournest thou?

OLIVIA:
Good fool, for my brother's death.

Clown:
I think his soul is in hell, madonna.

OLIVIA:
I know his soul is in heaven, fool.

Clown:
The more fool you, madonna, to mourn for your brother's
soul being in heaven.

The Second and Third Days of Allhallowtide