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Good Day at Once! On this, the 400th anniversary of the passing of the world's greatest bard, I thought it was only fitting to say hello to all of my faithful readers! You've perhaps noticed that this is the first e-mail like this in about half of a year.  Well, as some of you already know, I'm busy finishing that English degree that I began in 1987 at Seattle Pacific University.  I'm happier than a clam on a beach to be attending Marylhurst University in Portland now.  While I've temporarily suspended "book promotion" efforts while in classes, I did want to wish you all well and draw your attention to several pieces you might enjoy. I know that writing about places and trips is looked down upon by some of my writing friends; it's not intellectual enough, you know.  I beg to disagree.  As a fellow who grew up in Eastern Washington and has lived in Seattle, Whidbey Island, Bellingham, Dallas (TX & OR), Lawrence, KS, Redding, CA, and now Oregon's beautiful Willamette Valley (since 1996), I am fascinated when discovering new and unique places.  (If you've read my last novel, you can probably tell how critical a solid sense of place is to me.)  The Wallowas are a particularly strong case in point.  I'll never forget the first time I visited northeast Oregon; I was totally unprepared by the majesty I discovered.  I hope I am successful in conveying a little sense of that wonder in this recently published article from Travel Oregon.  As an added "bonus," I am including a couple paragraphs immediately below that we decided not to include in the published article.  It might just bring a smile... Of course, if you annoy the locals, you may find yourself taking the longest "short cut" you can imagine.  One local confided that a sweet old lady she knew had finally lost patience with an out-of-towner bearing a laundry list of complaints: the mountains weren't that special, the weather was too hot, there were no stores in which she cared to stop, etc.  Having finally had enough, the old woman carefully gave the complaining visitor detailed instructions to Hwy 3 out of Enterprise to Lewiston/Clarkston.  She explained that this route might offer her exactly what she was seeking.  Now, as someone who accidentally took this frightening little stretch of asphalt (again, thanks go to Google Maps) back in 2007, I can understand the humor here.  Still, I have to say I feel a little sorry for the complainer, too. Imagine a narrow road weaving steeply towards the hilltops, and you have some inkling of the drive.  There was beauty, too, of course: wild deer and a huge owl to name a couple examples.  As I recall, when the road began to feel more like a paved walking trail, I remember my wife asking me to drive slower and slower until we were inching along at less than 20 mph.  When I expressed concern about traffic, she insightfully pointed out that no one else was stupid enough to take that particular road.  Enough said. I also invite you to read two pieces associated with my educational venture.  First, here's an article concerning the importance of continuing education (and completing what one begins).  Second, here's a page created for a digital humanities course that you might also enjoy.  Truth be known, my selection of Stafford and Roethke probably has a lot to do with that sense of place element again. As Shakespeare might have said, had he done online newsletters, Adieu!

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Mock NEH Grant Application (Academic Project)

Karl Erickson, Marylhurst University

Nature of the Request: Sounds and Words, a Project for the Preservation of Domestic Humanities endeavors to safeguard precious audio and video recordings of renowned United States’ authors, poets, and playwrights before they are lost to future generations of readers and scholars. Its goals extend beyond becoming merely a comprehensive repository for these audio and visual recordings; the project aims to unearth new and forgotten content reflecting professional and personal sides of our country’s greatest writers.   A successful project would be evidenced by not by preservation efforts alone, but also by making these works more available to the public. As envisioned, this project will accomplish what no other online media source has before attempted: a comprehensive, searchable, and intuitively-accessed audio and video content of our country’s greatest writers.   It is hoped that similar endeavors may also be sparked in other parts of the western world.  In order to accomplish this project, we are seeking necessary funds to begin the first phase of this important work.

Humanities Content:   In an earlier Digital Humanities project entitled William Stafford & Theodore Roethke, A DigitalHumanities Project, I demonstrated the irreplaceable value found in recordings of the writer’s thoughts and readings in his own voice. Is this context or background required for the appreciation of the writers’ work? Usually, it is not. However, if one wishes to delve more deeply into the complex mind of the writer, there is great value in this audio and visual content of a wide-ranging nature. From old and forgotten interviews to recovered family recordings, these snapshots of time are our heritage; the time has come to step forward and preserve them for future generations.

There is perhaps a tendency by some in the field of humanities to too quickly pigeonhole or characterize great authors after only a single novel or collection of poetry is read. Sounds and Words, a Project for the Preservation of Domestic Humanities aims to make more widely available a diverse range of media, which will shed direct light on the true nature, character, and thought of those to whom we owe such a great debt for the work of their minds. This way perhaps we may begin to see these writers in a deeper and less stereotyped sense.

Unlike the other DH project mentioned above, this new project would focus on all (United States born) great authors, poets, and playwrights of the last century, or so. While its scope extends greatly beyond the original Stafford/Roethke project, I believe it could be a successful long-term endeavor.  Restricting focus to United States writers would likely encourage more thorough efforts into discovering and legally acquiring use of new recordings into the repository; a worldwide writer focus is believed to be too monumental a project to reasonably undertake at this time.  Once a sufficient number of media resources have been acquired, efforts would begin to focus on the creation of a website dedicated to the purpose of sharing the acquired media with students, researchers, and the general public.

Project Format: The archive or media repository will be restricted to audio and visual recordings featuring (United States born) great authors, poets, and playwrights. With few possible exceptions, these will be the writers themselves as opposed to talks or discussions about them. The media content would be tagged in such a way that complex searches will be possible—e.g. family recordings of novelists. This ease of user searchability would help encourage greater use as a new academic resource.

As touched on earlier, the project will allow both researchers and the public to have a greater understanding and appreciation of the viewpoints and differences of thought and art of selected writers.

Audience Distribution: A multi-prong approach is intended to increase audience size (demographic distribution) and interaction. First, letters and other media forms will be utilized when the project is ready for Beta Testing. It will invite a select group to utilize the repository for a time without any cost in exchange for sharing feedback and completing surveys. Second, social media will endeavor to build interest in Sounds and Words, a Project for the Preservation of Domestic Humanities by highlighting particularly important and interesting media discoveries. It will invite new users to join in the research and discovery at the heart of the project. Third, it is also our intent to consider ways of employing a crowdsourcing technique with regards to media tagging. This will not only build involvement and interaction, but it will improve tagging quality.

As found in “By the People, For the People: Assessing the Value of Crowdsourced, User-Generated Metadata” from the Digital Humanities Quarterly (2015, Volume 9, Number 1), there is great potential found in harnessing the power of crowdsourcing.

As of now, there remains debate about the comparative value of traditional and folksonomic metadata as organizational systems for today’s information needs. Nonetheless, there is growing recognition of the fact that folksonomies offer libraries with an ideal return-on-investment scenario [Syn and Spring 2009] with minimum cost (much of which can be off-set by digital humanities grants), maximum output of data [Bischoff et al. 2009] [Noll and Meinel 2007], as well as the chance to increase community engagement with their patrons. As the findings of the present study demonstrate, folksonomic metadata, when used in tandem with traditional metadata, increases findability, corrects preventable search failures, and is by and large accurate. Furthermore, the data suggest that given the same tagging conditions, librarians and non-librarians produce a surprisingly similar distribution of useful metadata. Collectively, these findings point to the potential to change the way we search for and organize our most treasured media.

Works Cited:

Manzo, Christina, Geoff Kauffman, Sukdith Punjasthitkul, and Mary Flanagan.

        ""By the People, For the People": Assessing the Value of Crowdsourced, User-Generated Metadata."

        DHQ: Digital Humanities Quarterly: By the People, For the People: Assessing the Value of Crowdsourced,

        User-Generated Metadata. Digital Humanities Quarterly, 1 Sept. 2015. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.

Erickson, Karl Bjorn. "William Stafford & Theodore Roethke, A Digital

       Humanities Project." Karl Bjorn Erickson, Author. Karl Erickson, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.

Fannie Mae's Homepath Lipstick on a Pig (404 McKinley St. SE)

     

We just wrapped-up a truly miserable experience with a Fannie Mae property in Salem, Oregon.  Sadly, Fannie Mae complaints and controversy are nothing new.  Our particular experience, though, displayed such a clear and intentional deception, however, that I felt compelled to briefly share some of the details.

     At first glance, the McKinley property appears to be in pristine condition.  (This is no accident.)  We even inquired about possible roof issues, but the representative assured us that Fannie Mae professionals had gone through the property with a fine-toothed comb; that must have been one bad comb.  We were taken-in, offering significantly more than the asking price, which led to our misguided offer eventually being accepted.  Upon later inspection, however, we leaned the following: heating/cooling system requires replacement, roof requires replacement, compressed wood siding needs to be completely or partially replaced (west side), and animals (alive and dead) have taken up residence under the house.  Oh, there's also likely asbestos in the garage.  The repair bill for the above?  Well, let's just say that it's in excess of $30,000, or so.  Without a home inspector (or our great realtor), we could have missed all of this.

     When made aware of deficiencies, Fannie Mae's local representative (Coldwell Banker's Brian Smith) declined to make any concessions.   It was, we were told, an as-is deal.  Yes, but it's crystal clear what they were trying to do with this property; it was lipstick on a pig.  A naive buyer could have been sent to financial ruin with this house by an organization his tax dollars helped bail-out.  Incompetence or deception?  You decide.

     If you are a buyer considering 404 McKinley St, please contact us for the complete inspection report--at no cost to you. Don't waste your time on Fannie Mae.

Disappointing Sounds from Alanna-Marie Boudreau

I first discovered Alanna-Marie Boudreau's music more than a year ago.  Sadly, I've been increasingly disappointed with her more recent performances.  "I'll Be Your Woman" from her Hints & Guesses album was a track I could overlook--given the fresh originality of her first album, Hands in the Land.  Two more recent performances, though, are also bringing a return of this sappy and sentimental crooning. 

In "O Come Let Us Adore Him" from a collection: O Come Let Us Adore: A Christmas Collective, she turns a Christmas classic into something slow and about as celebratory as April 15th tax day.  Again, in her most recent release entitled "Simon (Petros)," she takes a soft approach to otherwise thought-provoking lyrics.  The sentimental--almost easy-listening--direction of her music is indeed a disappointment.  She could be a force to be reckoned with, if only each new song didn't come across as an echo of a past one.  Sadly, there's a problem with Catholic music.  Usually, the content of present-day Catholic music is not articulated well, and the music is hardly worth mentioning.  In Alanna's case, the lyrics are most often very good, but it feels like she's having difficulty finding her unique voice this year.  Here's hoping she does better in 2016!

Sentimentality Awakens (A Review of Star Wars: Force Awakens)

I should preface this mini-review with a little disclosure. I'm a huge fan of the first two movies. They were real bright spots in my childhood. Sadly, though, none of the subsequent motion pictures has come close in matching the quality of the original--until now.  If my review seems too harsh, bear this context in mind.


I liked this motion picture quite a lot, and I especially thought Daisy Ridley's performance was a bright spot. She brought an authenticity and passion to the character that was refreshing. Still, there were too many heart-string pulls and hat tips to the original motion pictures that spawned this monster franchise.

Yes, Star Wars: Force Awakens was better than anything offered from George Lucas for a very long time--perhaps since Empire Strikes Back, but it could have been even stronger and tighter if more of the allusions to the first two movies had found themselves on the cutting room floor. A few hat tips and continuity references are great, but this one went just a little too far. For instance, there were even audio snippets of Death Star radio communications spliced into one scene in Force Awakens. This doesn't strengthen the current scene; it distracts from it. The tavern owner, Maz Kanata, was also too Disneyfied for my tastes: another distraction. A great movie, but it could have been awesome if it didn't convey the feeling, as others have first noted, that it was a motion picture created by committee.

Criticisms aside, this was a great family movie and a welcome relief from what passes for science fiction these days.  Daisy Ridley's new character really is helpful in bringing this movie up out of its sentimental tone (partially) and moving the narrative forward.  I only wish the strong casting choices had been paired with other good decision-making by George Lucas and J.J. Abrams.  

_________________________________________________________

Hey, are you looking for a short science fiction tale to help you face Star Wars withdrawal?  Check out Alcatraz Burning, a fresh release from Karl Bjorn Erickson (writer of this blog)!

The Syrian Refugee Dilemma

     The Syrian refugee crisis is a heart-rending example of man's inhumanity to man.  The Middle East, no stranger to wickedness on a grand scale, is a house on fire.  While many of its victims are truly innocent, some are likely not.

     NBC News ran an interesting segment recently focusing upon some of the heated rhetoric regarding this divisive issue. While hardly representative of objective, non-biased journalism, it's worth a watch. Our nation has a rich heritage of immigration, and no thinking, rational person would contend otherwise. As a Judeo-Christian country, our faith traditions were deeply influenced by a particular refugee named Abraham.

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she[b]considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. (Hebrews 11:8-12)

     The question in the particular case of the Syrian refugee crisis, however, is a different one than we've faced in the past. There are serious questions as to our ability properly and thoroughly vet the individuals applying for asylum in the United States. One also is reminded of possible connections of Syrian refugees with the horrific attack in Paris. All answers are not known, and the remaining mysteries may never be solved. There are valid reasons for concern. A knowledgeable friend shared the following words, which I will quote in full.

The short term: Who’s who?

What to do about those terrorists/wannabe terrorists that pass themselves off as just another refugee trying to escape oppression and start a new life? Well, I do think the rather long period it takes now (18 months plus is what I’m reading?) to get vetted before being allowed into the U.S. works in our favor because it can filter out those who were not entirely committed, convinced by emotion alone. But how to filter out the truly committed? There is no litmus test during the security screening parts of the vetting.

So in my view what we’re truly considering is:

1. Will there be terrorists/those with terrorist ambitions who will try to get in through this process? 

I absolutely believe the answer is yes.

2. If the answer to 1 is yes, then will, at least, some of those actually get through the process and enter the U.S. in this way?

I have no reason to believe they would not. Does anyone? How much cooperation do you think we’re getting from the Govt(?) of Syria in doing criminal record searches? How much biometric data do you think we have on terrorist wannabes from Syria? As for intel I can’t say but as you might imagine there are many, many, many names of Syrians that sound/read exactly alike (and/or are Romanized differently for the same person!). You can’t just run these guys through an NCIC.

3. If the answer to 2 is yes, then we turn to the moral(?) question: Do we take this risk anyway? Are we as a people willing to take in thousands knowing/believing that at least a few likely have terrorist ambitions and know-how?

The long term: Disaffected, disconnected, unemployed, and unassimilated.

After the refugees are placed (“resettled”) in communities in the U.S., what will be their future? Most will have few skills, most won’t speak any English. What are the odds that most will assimilate into American culture and adopt American values? Will they be inclined to do so if they can’t begin to make a living in short order? And if not, what’s the likely result? Alienation, resentment, anger, listlessness? Will they then be tempted toward a more radical interpretation of their faith. (Most, of course, will be Muslim.) What kind of social support structures, job training programs, and so on, can we put in place in these communities to help keep that from happening? Can anything be done? What will be their affect on native, if you’ll forgive the term, population and norms—will they be displaced? (See, for example, communities such as that in Leeds, England.)

The longer term: Disaffected, disconnected youth looking for a cause.

The vast majority of the immigrant generation will almost certainly remain poor because that’s the nature of this type of immigration. How will that affect the next generation—those born here? Some or perhaps even many parents will have embraced their new country and recognize and appreciate the escape from their previous situation and the freedoms and potential opportunities here in America. Nevertheless, the combination of growing up poor and culturally different sometimes engenders resentment by the next generation not felt by the immigration generation. (I’m trying to avoid the ambiguous terms “first generation” and “second generation” because that can be interpreted differently.) And that can encourage them to seek out striking back or at least being vulnerable to those that would seek to convince them that they are actively discriminated against by the infidels, they have betrayed Islam, and should right themselves by committing to jihad. (See, for example, the Lackawanna Six here in the U.S.)

     I suggest that we've lost a degree of common sense these days, and that more than ever we're influenced by sound bites and pictures that pull on our heartstrings.  This matter requires deep thought and a careful, measured response.  Pacifism at all costs, like open borders, is a pathway to a nation's destruction (from both the inside and out).  A government's responsibility is to protect its people, and the peoples' responsibility is to be informed citizens.  Sadly, we're losing the battle on both fronts.  

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”

Isaac Asimov

Tragic Time, Reflection on the Nature of Time in Oedipus, The King

Tragic Time, Reflections on the Nature of Time in Oedipus, The King


     The mysterious quality of time has been an area of personal fascination for years. After all, our understanding of time is not restricted to just how we use it. A culture’s view and concept of time is reflected within its arts and faith(s). Time is more than counting minutes or hours; it goes to the root of how we understand the world—past, present, and future. In my own essay from Catholic365.com, entitled “Parting the Veil of Eternity,” I introduced a discussion on faith and the elusive nature of time with the following words.

What is it that so fascinates us about time? If you’re old enough to remember watching the original Star Trek series on a black and white television, you’ve likely experienced that nagging sensation that time speeds up as you age. Whether this phenomenon has more to do with increasing age or busier schedules, I can’t say, but it certainly seems to be a common and shared human experience. I suggest that this feeling might be associated with that deposit of earthly experience we have stored up over the years. It’s difficult to articulate, but it’s almost as if we reach a tipping point where we have more time completed than to come, and the sense is that time is rushing by us more quickly as we speed downhill towards that unseen finish line. If something like this is indeed true, then, what do perceptions along these lines communicate about eternity: the eternal present? More important today, can it be said that there is a unique understanding or grasp of time evident within Catholic theology and tradition?...

When we pause to look at Sophocles’ Oedipus, The King we catch an insightful glimpse of what time meant to the Greeks. Several different dimensions of time are conveyed: the unchanging companion of fate (time and fate intertwined), finder of truth and true nature of character, and time is also seen as possessing a kind of elegant symmetry and mysterious purpose.

     As popularly known (and discussed within this National Public Radio commentary), Beethoven is said to have told an assistant that the opening movement of his fifth symphony represented fate knocking upon the door. As a lover of classical music, these words have helped me see this musical composition with fresh appreciation. There is a quality in this understanding of fate that is also helpful in understanding the nature of Oedipus. He is a character fighting to be his own man in a culture that did not put much faith in free will. He was endeavoring to fight the gods (particularly the will of Apollo), but the one fight you can’t win is destiny. If you examine the past points of Oedipus’ life in the light of his true destiny, you can’t help but draw the conclusion that his victory against the Sphinx terrorizing the people of Thebes was actually a personal defeat with regards to what the future had in store for him. Rather than look at Oedipus as a fool who is unable to reconcile himself with the truth, the reader should appreciate the character’s struggle against the future that lies in wait.

     With realization beginning to dawn, the anguish of Oedipus is abundantly clear when he asks “where is a man more miserable than I? More hated by the gods?” (Sophocles, 30) Despite the character’s general knowledge of his fate, however, he actively fights against it with every fiber of his being.

Oedipus has spent all his life dealing with his fate. He has, we learn, been told that he is fated to kill his father and marry his mother. And he has refused to accept that fate. He has spent much of his life moving around, so as to avoid his fate. In other words he has freely chosen, for reasons which we can surely understand and applaud, to construct a life in which what he has been told will happen will not happen. (Johnston, 11)

For the Greek audience, free will was eclipsed by fate or destiny. Time was the ultimate changing force, and nothing, except the gods, could withstand the transformative power of time. While this entropic force, however, wrecked havoc on most, some men were able to hold their ground—at least insofar as character traits are concerned.

     This brings us, then, to our second dimension of time as conveyed with this play: time as the finder of truth and character. Just as Bible passages such as 1 Peter 1:7 refer to the “refiners fire” with regards to hardship and trials endured by man, time is the ultimate refining force in terms of human beings and human institutions. Creon’s wise words to Oedipus follow.

Test what I have said. Go to the priestess / At Delphi, ask if I quoted her correctly. / And as for this other thing: if I am found / Guilty of treason with Teiresias, / Then sentence me to death! You have my word / It is a sentence I should cast my vote for-- / But not without evidence! / You do wrong. / When you take good men for bad, bad men for good. / A true friend thrown aside—why, life itself / Is not more precious! / In time you will know this well: / For time, and time alone, will show the just man, / Though scoundrels are discovered in a day. (Sophocles, 24)

     Read that last sentence again, because this dialogue captures the essence of time’s mystery to the Greeks—and to us today. Like a small stream will wear away rock over thousands of years, man’s true nature will be revealed—be it good or bad—with the passage of time; no mortal can shield himself from its power of discovery. As Jacqueline de Romilly eloquently puts it, “indeed, this destructive action of time, which is clearly shown by the verbs describing it…is the very mark of the human condition. Gods are not submitted to time.” (de Romilly, 94)

     The third dimension of time in Sophocles’ Oedipus, The King is more challenging to articulate than the preceding two. Perhaps it is best described with a reference to Greek architecture. Picture in your mind an example of an ancient Greek temple, for instance, and it will certainly include towering columns and a profound sense of symmetry and order. Indeed, an elegant kind of symmetry is evident in ancient Greek architecture; it’s all about order. Sophocles seems to convey the movement of time in a similar fashion with this work. If you examine the life of Oedipus prior to the period begun in the play, you note that his life began in Thebes, and the play also ends there. While not such an unusual circumstance for dramatic settings, it does lend to the sense of unity of the play. The irony of the character’s fight against destiny is also telling with regards to how Sophocles perceived the nature of time. Time may be the destroyer of mortals, but the nature of time itself appears to take the form of something ordered rather than random. Like Greek architecture, time in this work is similarly ordered and suggestive of an elegant purpose and structure.

All in all, Sophocles’ use of time in his narratives is designed to serve his general interest in the theme of mortals coming to terms with the vicissitudes of their lives and the ways in which the past encroaches on the present. (De Jong, 292)

     In conclusion, the tragedy of Oedipus highlights a man’s fight for free will against the force of destiny. Unlike we usually see time in the modern world, ancient Greeks had far less confidence in free will than the capricious nature of fate (as controlled by their fickle gods). Ultimately, man was slave to his fate, and this destiny was unalterable. The Judeo-Christian response would be to emphasize man’s responsibility for his own destiny; his personal choices determine and shape the course of his life. (This is not to say that God fails to know what our ultimate choices will be, but this knowing does not infringe upon the choices themselves. In fact, from the Catholic perspective, a view similar to what we see within this play would be termed heretical predestinarianism. Christians don’t believe that God chooses hell for anyone, but that people make this selection entirely themselves.) We can agree with Sophocles, however, regarding seeing time as the refining fire, revealing character as dross or pure gold. Likewise, most of use could agree that there is a certain kind of elegance or order to time. While this may be more visible to the astrophysicist than the English major, scientific thought infuses our culture thoroughly enough for most of us to have a perception along these lines. What is the importance of this work? Charles Segal offered the following.

The implications of Sophocles’ play make all such universalizing extrapolations possible. The Tyrannus remains a founding text in European culture. It is one of the most revealing documents of Western man’s determination to define self-knowledge in intellectual and rational terms, and one of the most powerful statements of the limitations of the enterprise. (Silk/Segal, 142)

I’d like to end this essay with a passage from Jacqueline de Romilly’s excellent and thoughtful work, Time in Greek Tragedy. It reminds us why time is such a critical component of the dramatic arts.

Time shows through change; and in that respect it is obvious that tragedy deals with time. Its subject matter is always one great event, which overthrows all that existed before: it means death, destruction, reversal of fortune; its strength rests on a contrast between before and after; and the deeper the contrast, the more tragic the event. (de Romilly, 5-6)

Works Cited

Erickson, Karl Bjorn. "Parting the Veil of Eternity." Catholic365. N.p., 14 Nov. 2014. Web. 6 Dec. 2015.

Johnston, Ian. "Fate, Freedom, and the Tragic Experience: An Introductory Lecture on Sophocles's Oedipus the King." Vancouver Island University. Aug. 2004. Lecture.

Jong, Irene J. F. De., and Rene Nünlist. Time in Ancient Greek Literature. Leiden: Brill, 2007. Print.

"Predestinarianism." CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA:. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2015.

Romilly, Jacqueline De. Time in Greek Tragedy. Ithaca, NY: Cornell UP, 1968. Print.

Silk, M. S. "Segal's Sophocles C. Segal: Sophocles' Tragic World: Divinity, Nature,Society. Pp. Xii 276. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1995. £25. ISBN: 0-674-82100-9." The Classical Review The Class. Rev. 47.02 (1997): 250-51. Web.

"Sophocles Oedipus Rex 1957." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2015.

Sophocles. Oedipus the King. The Seagull Reader Plays. Ed. Joseph Kelly. New York: W. W. Norton, 2009. Print.

(MLA Works Cited indentation not used on blog.)