Defending the 12th century since the 14th; blogging since the 21st.

Catholicism, Conservatism, the Middle Ages, Opera, and Historical and Literary Objets d'Art blogged by a suburban dad who teaches law and writes stuff.


"Very fun." -- J. Bottum, Editor, FIRST THINGS

"Too modest" -- Elinor Dashwood

"Perhaps the wisest man on the Web" -- Henry Dieterich

"Hat tip: me (but really Cacciaguida)" -- Diana Feygin, Editor, THE YALE FREE PRESS

"You are my sire. You give me confidence to speak. You raise my heart so high that I am no more I." -- Dante

"Fabulous!"-- Warlock D.J. Prod of Didsbury

Who was Cacciaguida? See Dante's PARADISO, Cantos XV, XVI, & XVII.


E-mail me

 
Foucault's Pendulum: More posts coming, but real quick:

* I loved it. Haven't had that much fun with a novel since The Secret History, though Declare, with which it has an affinity or two (re: postulating a hidden history of our times), comes close.

* It's cross-genre: mystery/suspense, dark fantasy, and elements of Bildungsroman.

* Lia throughout, and Diotallevi in his last scene, are absolutely blazing spokesmen against gnosticism and esotericism, the more so because neither is a Catholic, so neither can make specifically Catholic arguments.

Note: I've finished the book, and I think the end -- the very end -- reinforces the anti-gnostic theme. Notice that I have not written any spoilers here. If your comments contain spoilers, include warnings as well (e.g. "SPOILER ALERT").
posted by Cacciaguida at 2:44 PM