Category Archives: The South

The Eroticism of the Gettysburg Address

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Uncomely and Broken

The androgyne of Aristophanes’ speech in Plato’s Republic is a deeply comic myth on the nature of eros, one that has been put to music in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (see below). I have long wondered whether the strange … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics, Education, Military, Music, The South | Leave a comment

Mine 21 documentary maybe?

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Uncomely and Broken

A letter I sent off for funding a documentary.  Something I have no training for whatsoever. We shall see … Prof. Linda Mayes & Prof. Karen Yu Directors, Collaborative for Southern Appalachian and Place-Based Studies December 4, 2014 Dear Linda … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics, Sewanee, The South, Trees & Flowers | Leave a comment

Protected: Carolina On My Mind

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Uncomely and Broken

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Posted in Classics, Education, Emblems, Family, Language & Etymology, Music, Sports & Games, The South | Enter your password to view comments.

Protected: Bye Bye Burdies?

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Uncomely and Broken

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Posted in Birds, Classics, England, Language & Etymology, Military, Oxford, Poetry, The South | Enter your password to view comments.

Rebel’s Rest: Com’era, Dov’era?

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Uncomely and Broken

I wrote the following post on July 30, but decided not to post it publicly, as it seemed (for lack of a better word) incendiary.  But as the two postscripts indicate, perhaps now is a good time to raise the … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Emblems, Italy, Military, Sewanee, Slavery, The South | 5 Comments

Exiting Buggy Top

Posted on July 12, 2014 by Uncomely and Broken

We hiked to Buggy Top Cave yesterday, just south of Sewanee off the Sherwood Road.   This is a phenomenal cave to visit, with an eighty foot mouth and a creek running through it. Buggy Top was closed for a while, … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Classics, Family, Mythology, Sewanee, Sports & Games, Tennessee, The South | Leave a comment

it’s always ourselves we find in the sea

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Uncomely and Broken

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me) it’s always ourselves we find in the sea ­–e.e. cummings, maggie and milly and molly and may (1958)

Posted in Nautical, Poetry, The South | Leave a comment

Saturnalia and American Slavery

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Uncomely and Broken

The Roman festival of the Saturnalia, “the best of days,” was celebrated between December 17th and 25th as a period of carnivalesque license. The world was ritually turned upside down, masters served slaves, and freedom of speech was encouraged. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Classics, Slavery, The South, Time | Leave a comment

The Daisy Hereabouts

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Uncomely and Broken

A bit of floral folklore, previously unknown to me, has to do with the spread of daisies in the area during the Civil War. Perhaps some of my friends in the sciences could add some useful remarks on the matter? … Continue reading →

Posted in Military, Poetry, Sewanee, The South, Trees & Flowers, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

The Biting Bishop

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Uncomely and Broken

One of the principal founders of the University of the South, where I teach, was Leonidas Polk,  the Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana as well as a Confederate Brigadier General. His occupation of both roles earned him the title “The Fighting … Continue reading →

Posted in Ireland, Military, Sewanee, The South, Uncategorized | 5 Comments