In 1682 or thereabouts the English poet John Dryden’s famous mock-epic, “MacFlecknoe,” was published (perhaps without the author’s consent). In it Dryden butchers his contemporary, the comparatively less talented Thomas Shadwell (who nonetheless became Poet Laureate later on), a man with whom Dryden had a series of disagreements (artistic, religious and political). The premise of the poem is that the
Read moreOn April 16 we launched Scholars & Rogues.
Read moreAt the top of the column to the right you’ll see that S&R has been nominated for a Blogger’s Choice award in the Political Blog category. We’re obviously proud of that, and are especially pleased that some of you have chosen to cast a vote for us. As it stands right now we’re in the top 20, and that’s a
Read moreAfter last week’s fun little exchange over poetry-related topics my fellow scrogues and I agreed to make Thursdays Poetry Day here at S&R. Let me kick things off. Since we’ve also been chatting behind the scenes about the relative wordiness of things we’ve seen and written, I’d like to make today’s subject minimalism: let’s talk about poems that don’t use
Read moreIt’s time for America to get serious about declaring its independence from the Bush administration. Keith Olbermann’s special comment last night says it all.
Read moreMrs. Miggins, there’s nothing intellectual wandering around Italy in a big shirt, trying to get laid. – Edmund Blackadder That dashing, slightly dangerous character gracing the masthead above is none other than George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824). We have selected him as the coverboy for our first masthead, and if from this you deduce that other personages will feature on
Read moreWell, Robert has shamed me into it. Of course, it’s National Poetry Month, a festival that’s celebrated by literally dozens of versionados across America. And here I am, an actual poet (and you thought I was only a scholar and rogue), and I’ve said nothing. The folks over at Poetry Daily have been running a series of “poem of the
Read more
lullaby pit 