It was only in researching this piece that I was struck by the uncanny physical resemblance between Dante Alighieri, the Florentine poet, and Mr Sherlock Holmes, of 221b Baker St, the World’s first Consulting Detective: ‘His eyes were sharp and piercing, ... and his thin, hawk-like nose gave his whole expression an air of alertness … Continue reading The Case of the Florentine Poet: Was Dante the father of Science Fiction?
Category: language-related
‘we are only doing philosophy’
Esse est percipi - to be is to be perceived. That is Berkeley’s great insight, that the world as we know it exists only for us and beings similarly equipped. It is an observation widely misunderstood because the truth of it is difficult to express, hence the famous exchange between my countryman Boswell (whom I … Continue reading ‘we are only doing philosophy’
Paxman and the Angels
‘Samson wis a mighty man he fought wi the cuddy’s jaws he fought ten thoosan battles in his crimson flannel drawers’ In the Bible, Samson is conceived by a woman previously thought barren and becomes a notable hero of Israel, smiting the Philistines before falling from grace through his infatuation with Delilah, which leaves him … Continue reading Paxman and the Angels
‘Them was the beds I saw!’ (as th’oul’ gunnock said)
When young, my brother and I had a book called (I think) The Prophecies of the Brahan Seer (indeed I believe it was this one), which dealt with the life (and somewhat unpleasant death) of Kenneth Mackenzie, also known as Coinneach Odhar or the Brahan seer, who was celebrated for having what in the Highlands is called ‘the … Continue reading ‘Them was the beds I saw!’ (as th’oul’ gunnock said)
Not waving…
Nobody heard him, the dead man, But still he lay moaning: I was much further out than you thought And not waving but drowning. I first read Stevie Smith’s poem at school and could make neither head nor tail of it, yet this morning, lying in the dark, the lines above came to me and … Continue reading Not waving…
The Writer’s Task
Trawling through my chaotic file system, I came across this, which I wrote a while back - it has at least the merit of brevity ('Brevity is the soul of wit - if you can't be witty, at least be brief') : 'A character must do, not what I want him or need him to do … Continue reading The Writer’s Task
More on Metaphor: St Patrick and the Queen of Tropes
If we are to rescue metaphor from the charge of disrepute, of being essentially dishonest, saying something is what it is not, then we have to look at it differently. For a start, considering metaphor as a figure of speech is not helpful, for then it it is ranked with a host of others, most … Continue reading More on Metaphor: St Patrick and the Queen of Tropes
Metaphor, Queen of Tropes or Dishonest Harridan?
I’m not saying it’s all metaphor, but it is, just about - and vélophile though I am, if you were to press me on what our most important invention is, I would have to put metaphor first, even ahead of the bicycle. It was something we were taught very badly at school: the focus was … Continue reading Metaphor, Queen of Tropes or Dishonest Harridan?
Elective Causality
'Myself when young did eagerly frequent Doctor and Saint and heard great argument About it and about: but evermore Came out by that same door as in I went.' (however, let us keep Omar Khayyam for another day) Myself when young was much annoyed by David Hume, particularly his account of causality, so I am … Continue reading Elective Causality
Walrus Boy and the Ballad Form
'Walrus Boy' was written during a writers' weekend at Cromarty, some years ago. One of the talks we had was on the Ballad form and its characteristics. Ballads are an ancient and popular form yet they have a freshness and directness about them that never seems to wane: they may appear naive and unsophisticated on … Continue reading Walrus Boy and the Ballad Form
COMPLEAT TROWZER 