The Vulgar Eclectic
Vulgar: of the usual, typical, or ordinary kind
definitions courtesy of Merriam-Webster
Eclectic: composed of elements drawn from various sources
recent blog posts
- The Robbers by Friedrich Schiller
I finished reading The Robbers (translated by F. J. Lamport), a play by Friedrich Schiller originally published in 1781. It is Schiller’s first published play and part of the romantic Sturm und Drang literary movement. Everything is pretty much turned up to an 11! The dialogue is vivid, dramatic, and often philosophical. The plot follows the conflict between two brothers, while exploring questions of morality, liberty, duty, and fate.
It was very dramatic, even melodramatic, but not in a way that felt absurd. In contrast to the quietness of a play by Chekhov or the tight compactness of a Greek tragedy, The Robbers feels wild with bursts of stark violence amid a backdrop of forest, town, and castle.
“–I have lost myself since I went in there–”
***
This is a book jot from February 2021 that I hadn’t yet posted here. I’m almost all caught up now!
Title page from the first edition of Die Räuber (The Robbers) by Friedrich Schiller - The sun is sinking in the west…
- Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs
I recently finished reading Pellucidar (1915) by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the second novel in the Pellucidar series of seven books.
As one would expect, it is a fast-paced story of action, adventure, and danger featuring characters defined by their sense of honor and allegiance to friendship. The main character, David Innes, returns to the world inside the Earth in this story, to search for his friend Perry and his partner Dian. In the process, he explores more of the land of Pellucidar, meets a wide variety of inhabitants, and has many adventures.
Modern readers may occasionally desire a more nuanced view of Innes’ actions and dreams but the adventure and camaraderie of it all carries one away.
- Nubilous
I recently came across a word I wasn’t familiar with. That happens a lot when I’m reading but it was surprising in that, this particular time, I was reading a comic book. That’s not a medium usually thought of as having a difficult lexicon.
The word is “nubilous,” an adjective meaning “cloudy, foggy, misty” or “obscure, vague.” It is derived from the Latin word for cloud, “nubes.”
The panel above is from Dagar the Invincible issue #7, published in April 1974 by Gold Key. Don Glut handled the writing and Jesse Santos did the art. Notice the very “cloudy, foggy, misty” elements!
- Red Milkweed Beetle
I came across this red milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) while on a walk a few evenings ago. They are part of the milkweed ecosystem and not harmful to milkweed plants or monarch butterflies.
The beetles are adapted to eat the milkweed plant, which is toxic to many species of animals. Because they ingest these toxins, the beetles, like monarch butterflies, are in turn toxic to many predators. The red milkweed beetles are brightly colored, advertising their toxicity to potential predators. I learned that the use of these kinds of signals as a defense mechanism by a wide range of animals is referred to as “aposematism.”
We can see this in monarch butterflies, poison dart frogs, skunks, blue-ringed octopuses, black widow spiders, and many other animal species. There are even animals that mimic aposematism in an attempt to ward off predation.