Antechamber Of Modernity
The conjunction of barbarism and civilisation
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
The Case For The Classics
Three books offer fresh and enchanting views on the ancient past and how it can still live
No French Please
Sacre bleu! Why bother learning any French when in France you’ll just be humiliated? Let’s study Mandarin, or Arabic, or Spanish in schools instead.
Lost in Translation
As has been the case for hundreds of years, the appointment of Pope Francis was announced in Latin. But the BBC and Sky News didn't know their quas from their elbows
“Weary of Silence, Soon Sickened by Words”
Delving into the various linguistic predicaments of Samuel Beckett reveals the beautiful complications of his writings.
Native Tongue-tied
Learning a foreign tongue opens up an entirely new spectrum of cultural rewards, yet state schools are failing to emphasise their importance
Continental Philosophies
Review of The Appointment by Herta Müller; Perlmann's Silence by Pascal Mercier; and The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
Flouting (Not Flaunting) the Rules of English
The teaching of grammar should be at the heart of the school syllabus. Without it we are killing intellectual curiosity
Labor Omnia Vincit
Teaching Latin in primary state schools may be the answer to decling standards in literacy
Never Too Old
The dearth of GCSE Greek courses — or indeed, Ancient Greek history — taught in state schools is to the great detriment of secondary school pupils
Sweet Talk
We live in a euphemistic commercial age where “plain” chocolate just simply will not do Have you bought any chocolate digestives lately? If you have been looking for plain chocolate ones, rather than
Don’t Fear the Greeks
Greek mythology is making a welcome comeback in print and on the silver screen