Category: Art

Zachary Bos on Robert Bringhurst

The Administrative Coordinator of the Core, Zachary Bos, recently wrote a letter to the Boston Finneganers regarding Robert Bringhurst’s books: Dear Friends, and members of the Boston Finneganers: I have a great deal of appreciation for Robert Bringhurst’s books — his interest and valuation of languages, literatures, and the technical means these comes to us; his sense of […]

Giacinto Scelsi

From the Shutter Island Soundtrack: The Core presents Giacinto Scelsi, an Italian composer from the 20th century that remained largely unknown for most of his career. The impact caused by the late discovery of Scelsi’s works was described by Belgian musicologist Harry Halbreich: A whole chapter of recent musical history must be rewritten: the second half of […]

BU Today: The Penelopiad

This article by Susan Seligson of BU Today provides the first reactions to CFA’s rendi tion of Margaret Atwood’s Penelopiad. Here is a sample of description: In this contemporary reimagining of The Odyssey, which the author adapted from her 2005 novella, the dead Penelope narrates her tale from a 21st-century Hades, in a state she describes as […]

Sting & Confucius

The Core presents a song by Sting titled Englishman in New York. It’s message relates to CC102’s study of the Analects of Confucius. The Confucian idea of the ethics of a “gentleman”, to some extent, provides directions on how to behave in the “gentlemanly” way when in a foreign land. Sting addresses this idea of […]

Kurt Cobain: Letters & Journals

Kurt Cobain’s music and ideas have had a large impact on several generations, and the Core finds it worth acknowledging. In this article, Maria Popova explores and provides pages from the letters and journals of grunge legend. She describes the collection: The posthumously released Kurt Cobain: Journals (public library) offers an unprecedented glimpse of the modern icon’s […]

Charles McNulty on Depictions of Violence in Theater

In this compelling article, Los Angeles Times Theater Critic McNulty discusses the controversial topic of violence in theater. Here is a sample: What is the line between acceptable and unacceptable violence in art? If gruesomeness is the criterion, much of Jacobean drama would have to be banned, including Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” with its graphic scene […]

Winston Churchill- ‘Our Modern Watchwords’

Until recently, Winston Churchill was only known to have written one poem as a schoolboy. Now, a 10-verse poem he wrote while serving in the army has emerged, from 1898 when he was 24 years old. Two of the 10 stanza of the work, titled ‘Our Modern Watchwords’, read: The shadow falls along the shore The search […]

Vlada Brofman- Core Writing Tutor & Musician

The Core is delighted to point out that one of our very own Writing Tutors is also a talented musician! Here is a video showing her singing solo: … and another showing her in performance with her band, NoMad Dreams: Vlada and NoMad Dreams will be performing this Sunday, February 24th, at noon in the […]

Ron Rosenbaum on the Jane Austen ‘hype’

Relating to CC202’s study of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the Core offers an article by Ron Rosenbaum, titled Is Jane Austen Overhyped?- Evaluating her literary merit amid the Anniversary reverence. The subject it deals with is important, and relevant to all classics- how much good does exaggerated celebration their anniversaries really do? Here is a […]

Leonardo & Michelangelo

The Core presents an article by Michael Kammen, summarized by Arts & Letters Daily as: “One was an upstart clad in pink and purple, the other an acknowledged genius. Florence wasn’t big enough for both Michelangelo and Leonardo…” Here is a sample from the article: Leonardo, widely recognized as a genius and brilliant draughtsman — his Mona Lisa was […]