On the eve of WW1, the European balance of power was changing. It was no longer the era immediately after the Congress of Vienna in 1815, and the same men who controlled foreign affairs in the post-Napoleonic world were a dying breed. The spreading nationalism of the Romantic period took hold of European powers, causing … More The Coming of WW1
Modernism is best understood through comparison with its two predecessors, Romanticism and Neoclassicism. The Neoclassical era began in the 18th century and emphasized the importance of the Greco-Roman ideals of logic and order, combined with the proper decorum of Europe and the Renaissance’s idea of effortlessness, i.e., sprezzatura. But by the 19th century, the Neoclassical … More Modernism: Creation Through the Eyes of Apostate Men
The three most recent authors added to my catalogue of half-decent American writers are O. Henry, Jack London, and Ambrose Bierce. As Dr. Gary North likes to say, we have entered a new regime. In this case, that quote pertains to 19th-century American authors. This section first began with the nonsensical writings of James Fenimore … More O. Henry: America’s Greatest Writer?
In short, the German Kulturkamp of the 1870s was a cultural schism between the Catholic Church and the State within the Prussian-dominated territories in Western Europe. With the rise of nationalism and imperialism across the West, nations looked skeptically towards foreign influences. To Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, arguably the most powerful man in Prussia, the … More The German Kulturkampf
A Place for Twain After going through multiple of Mark Twain’s stories for Dr. Gary North’s English class, I have discovered where Twain lies in the catalogue of American authors and whether there is a place for his humorous writings or not. Surely the vast majority of literate Americans—which, in fairness, are far and few … More A Place for Mark Twain
Asher Sisneros 