Archive for August 2026
The Devil and Miss Josie
by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis.—John Milton loved the Devil. In literary history, Milton was the most pious and passionate of Christian poets, a devout believer and a pillar of the Church. But he was simultaneously a complicated intellectual with boundless curiosity and a devotion to artistic rigor. For Milton, it would have been illegitimate to…
Read MoreEat, drink and buy Jawbreakers
by David Benjamin “A penny saved is still just a fucking penny.” —Dan Lok MADISON, Wis.—One of the drawbacks of vegetating in front of the TV after a hard day at the keyboard is the intrusion—and merciless repetition—of ads that seem conceived to rankle my nerves and make me talk back to the screen. For…
Read MoreWho’s in charge here?
by David Benjamin “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” — Frederick Douglass MADISON, Wis.—To fill my class schedule in my last college semester, I signed up, reluctantly, for a course entitled “Leadership Lore.” My professor, whose specialty was classics, steered his students toward ancient conquerors like Cyrus the…
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