“The island where I live is peopled with cranks like myself.”

The essay “Teaching a Stone to Talk” opens with a description of cranky man named Larry who does, in fact, try to teach a stone to talk. Several times a day, he takes a certain stone off his shelf, removes its cover, and gives it lessons. This light-hearted story leads … Read More

“To cause paralyzing anxiety, is the dream of power. . .”

Is this true?  To have power, do you need to make everyone feel anxious?  According to the author of this essay about Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the answer is “Absolutely.”  The play is about an exiled Duke who wants to return to power, even though he has no army, … Read More