Super! An Alternative Romance
Written by Thomas, and drawn by me, this story of unrequited love is out just in time for Valentine’s Day! Download it here (10 MB).
Writing
Wuwei Two Ways
In their commentaries to the Laozi, Wang Bi and Xiang’er take radically different approaches to the text. Between the two of them, they are liable to upset anyone who wants to get at the original meaning of the text, since they contradict each other at every turn. Westerners are keen to favor the more philosophical [...]
Feminine Agency in the Mabinogi
or, Why It’s Not Called the Feminogion
The Mabinogi — that is, the first four branches of the Mabinogion — is surprisingly sympathetic towards women. Female characters play a central role: they make decisions that are important to the plot, voice their interests, and get justice in the end. Most of the women are positively portrayed, [...]
The Seeds of Heaven
In the Mencius, Heaven is the behind-the-scenes force that defines ethics and provides the impetus for people to behave according to its moral precepts. According to Mencius, people are naturally good. All we have to do is find it within ourselves and express it outwardly, and everything will soon fall into place. Ethics is harmony [...]
Listen to the Birds
When you are outside, listen to the birds. What are they chattering about? Have they found a morsel of food? Are they showing off for a mate? Are they chirping about you? They aren’t singing for you, that’s for certain. You can trick one into a cage and it will still sing, but he is [...]
The Wannabe Novelist of Monmouth
In the time before fiction, there was only history. There was one world, and it served to contain both fact and fantasy, in short anything one wished to put there. While some historians, like Bede or Gildas, may have endeavored to describe real events, Geoffrey of Monmouth used history to re-imagine Welsh folklore. In the [...]
Transforming Animals: Human Relationships with Wild and Domestic Meat
In our modern, Western culture, we conceive of two distinct categories of animal: wild animals, who live in nature and must be hunted if they are to become food; and domestic animals, who are considered property and usually destined for human plates. We recognize domestic animals as cultural products, created through artificial selection to better serve our needs. They represent our domination of nature, even the very evolutionary forces behind it. On the other hand, wild animals are often thought of as noble beasts, worthy of our protection or at least consideration, while domestic animals are stupid, unfeeling, and uncouth. Yet all this presupposes a divide between nature and culture, a line crossed only by humans — specifically modern, Western humans. There is a wide spectrum of human-animal relationships, ranging from the most intimate acts of pig-suckling to the most distant remove of eating star-shaped chicken nuggets. And in the end even intimacy doesn’t guarantee interspecies understanding.
Alone in the Breeze
Sleepy afternoon eyes Legs still from moving Thinking slow like light diffusion Alone in the breeze And wanting nothing else.
Tree Sellers
The truck with all the trees Rolls slowly down the street. The gypsy calls To sell! The trees! But no one comes to buy And the truck just rolls on by.
