By Dennis Raverty In 1918, literary critic Van Wycks Brooks wrote that Americans were engaged in a search for what he called a “usable” past –— that is, a believable, overarching narrative about the past that would inform and make sense of the present and give us an awareness of our collective identity. Such was the idea of “Manifest Destiny” that drove the settling of … [Read more...] about Memory, Simulation, and a Usable Past
Archives for March 25, 2022
Behind, Before
By James Cornwell Feast of the Annunciation A Reading from Isaiah 52:7-12 7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” 8 Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of … [Read more...] about Behind, Before