Category Archives: Littademia

All the reasons I didn’t do a PhD in medieval lit, and all the reasons I still occasionally wish I had.

“A masterful congress of word and image, science and art”: I think Darwin would approve

Posted on October 30, 2011 by cicada

Artist, naturalist and calligrapher Kelly Houle is seeking support through Kickstarter for her “Illuminated Origin of Species” project: Houle promises “a masterful congress of word and image, science and art, in celebration of the grandeur in this view of life.”  … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Books, Ephemera, History of Science, Littademia, Medical Illustration and History, Random Acts of Altruism, Retrotechnology | Comments Off

The Mona Lisa, Genes, and Money

Posted on February 13, 2008 by cicada

One of the questions an artist hates most is what is your artwork worth? Price is a subjective, unsatisfactory proxy for emotional angst, frustration, eyestrain, and time. Sometimes I find that NO (reasonable) value can compensate for the emotional investment … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Ephemera, Film, Video & Music, Littademia, Photography, Science in culture & policy | Comments Off

This would be my third-favorite show

Posted on January 17, 2008 by cicada

Geoffrey Chaucer is back on his blog after a hiatus almost as long as Lost‘s, with a comment on the television writers’ strike. He proposes some shows of his own which sound a tad familiar, perhaps – but in literature, … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogs and Blogging, Frivolity, Littademia | 2 Comments

The Five Living Poets Challenge

Posted on October 31, 2007 by cicada

Over at his blog, Jeff Prucher has challenged readers to think of five major LIVING poets. Can you do it? No cheating, no Googling, no looking at your bookshelf or New Yorkers! For verisimilitude, pretend Alex Trebek is staring smugly … Continue reading →

Posted in Frivolity, Littademia, Poetry | 4 Comments

There might be some internal conflict here

Posted on August 29, 2007 by cicada

Apparently Karl Rove considers himself both Beowulf and Grendel. How strange. And to think I always thought he was the smartest of the bunch. . . Via In the Middle

Posted in Frivolity, Littademia | 2 Comments

Poem of the Week: Sonnet 116

Posted on July 29, 2007 by cicada

Ah, the British Library. In one room: Shakespeare’s First Folio, Thomas More’s last letter to Henry III, Lewis Carroll’s diary, the Gutenberg Bible, a letter from Darwin to Wallace, a letter from Newton to Hooke, Shakespeare’s mortgage, Magna Carta, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Department of the Drama, Littademia, Museum Lust, Poetry | 1 Comment

When Vampires get tenure

Posted on July 5, 2007 by cicada

Self-described “exhibition of weirds” Farrago’s Wainscot has a suspiciously convincing webpage for Associate Professor of Sanguinary History Anna S. Oppenhagen-Petrescu, from class syllabi to CV – including the preface of her new book, snarky footnotes, and slightly ambiguous encomiums from … Continue reading →

Posted in Frivolity, Littademia, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Dude, this book ys for real?

Posted on July 3, 2007 by cicada

Hey. . . where’s that essay I wrote twelve years ago on narrative unreliability in Monty Python and the Holy Grail? I think its time has come! (They also need a chapter on the reification of puns.) Cultural Studies of … Continue reading →

Posted in Frivolity, Littademia | 2 Comments

Reclaiming the body in negative space: Troy & Pompeii

Posted on June 1, 2007 by cicada

Iliad Cenotaphs: Echepolus acrylic on wood Jonathan Gabel, 2007 Poring over the hyper-detailed text of the Iliad, Jonathan Gabel has envisioned each soldier’s death-wound, recreating the negative space of the wound as an anatomical model.

Posted in Artists & Art, Littademia, Museum Lust | 1 Comment

Kalamazeitgeist

Posted on May 5, 2007 by cicada

If the word “Kalamazoo” prompts you to imagine a child’s musical toy, skip this post. But if it makes you hyperventilate and run to double-check obscure citations, the cruel wit of Herr Professor Doktor Boethius P. von Korncrake may divert … Continue reading →

Posted in Frivolity, Littademia | Comments Off