Talk Write

Lewis gives two views of the same setting, contrasting two very differnet personalities. Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

First published in her 1921 collection “Nets to Catch the Wind,” Wylie’s sonnet cycle “Wild Peaches” dramatizes an elopement to an idyllic East: an event which has parallels in her own life. Notice her sumptuous nature descriptions and her final Puritanical twist in the fourth poem. Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

Carol has had a few early successes in reforming Gopher Prairie, but come winter her rewards began to stall. Lewis captures her sense of failure and loneliness in this restless passage. Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

Gopher Prairie, Minnesota: embodiment of small-town America. Newly-married Carol moves in, determined to campaign to change the town for the better, but she quickly runs into the petty-mindedness and lack of ambition. Through minute observation and setting-building, Lewis deftly dramatizes Carol’s struggle, both exterior and internal. Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com...

In 1920, future Nobel laureate Sinclair Lewis published his note-quite scathing, not-quite doting critique of American small-town life. “Main Street” was an early 20th-century bestseller and the novel responsible for puncturing the idealized image of American small town life. Through his heroine Carol and her relationship with husband William Kennicott, Lewis presents a benighted hero who desires...

Today we’re looking at Psalms 103 and 104. God’s authority and care for his creation are on display in both of our Pslams, though they take decidedly different approaches in giving glory. One interiorized, the other externalized. One gives thanks for his forgiveness and vindication; the other praises God for holding the world in check. Both offer praises. Get full access to Talk Write at brandonco...

For our last day this week with Edith Wharton, we’ll take a look at her delightful comedy” Xingu.” Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

Hopkins’s 1878 poem celebrates the Virgin Mary and the month of May. Ecstatic language and beautiful nature descriptions follow. Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

Edith Wharton spins a terrible moral quandary in our excerpt for today. Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

We take a look at the final scene between Ethan and Mattie, in which regrets are spoken, futures are considered, and the two decide on a sledding trip that will change everything. Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

Today we’re looking at a devastating scene from Edith Wharton’s 1911 novella “Ethan Frome.” Trapped in a loveless marriage with a spiteful and bitter wife, all goes poorly for Ethan until he discovers his feelings for Mattie, feelings which ultimately end in a winter disaster… Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

A Bradbury-inspired ghost story featuring a misty lake and misanthropic young writer (completely unrelated to reality, of course!) Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

Turgenev’s powers of description, character, and humor are on full display here! We join the tragically-fated Tatyana Borisovna at her cottage at the end of the lane for our final Turgenev short story. Trans. Charles and Natasha Hepburn Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

It’s mid-Spring…so what better time to dip into this mosy lyrical of autumn poems? Shelley takes us into the whirlwind, touching upon matters of life and death in this most highly regarded of Romantic era poems. Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

Examining Turgenev’s powers of description, humor, and surrealism in a short scene. Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

Turgenev excels in nature writing and character sketches, but how well does he do with character psychology? “The End of Chertopkhanov” offers a tragically astute portrait of a mind in decline. Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

This week we’re going to examine several scenes from Ivan Turgenev’s classic: “Sketches From a Hunter’s Album.” Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

Happy Easter Sunday! As the pilgrims enter Jerusalem, they are reminded of God’s unity and provision. Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

At long last, Dante has come through the purgatorial slog and is ready to face Heaven. Bathed in the River of eunoTrans. John Ciardi Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

Sated with Betrice’s smile, Dante falls into sleep and experiences a vision of the corruption of the Church. Dragons, harlots, giants, and more! Trans. John Ciardi Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

“My heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty”Psalms of Ascent: 131 and 132 Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

The heavenly pageant (and Beatrice’s scolding) continue; Dante remembers his past sins and is brought to the river of forgetfulness. Trans. John Ciardi Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

“I cry to you, O Lord. Let your ears be attentive to my plea for mercy.”Psalms of ascent 129 and 130 for Maundy Thursday Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

Beatrice! Enter Dante’s love, after the poet has literally crossed hell. Beatrice, however, has some choice words for her disciple. Trans. John Ciardi Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe

As Dante lingers in the Earthly Paradise he is treated to a heavenly pageant of elders, nymphs, and a griffin. All comes to an abrupt end when a thunderclap signals the arrival of… Trans. John Ciardi Get full access to Talk Write at brandoncookwriter.substack.com/subscribe