The Machiavellians by James Burnham

“In elections, as in all other manifestations of social life, those who have the will and, especially, the moral, intellectual and material means to force their will upon others take the lead over the others and command them.”

“God Helpe the Man”

What does it mean to be a man? This is a question that often touches upon the greatest issues of an age, and such was certainly the case for Edmund Spenser. This essay seeks to express the centrality of humility in the face of divine mercy as a part of Spenser’s view of the masculine male initiation into maturity, tracing it from a historical debate on the conflict between both secular warrior and religious scholarly cultures, through Renaissance discourse on courtly virtue, and finally in the tale of Spenser’s Redcrosse Knight itself.

From Warrior to King

Beowulf is the story of a tragic hero from a forgotten age who is thrust into kingship, and ultimately fails in his duty. By identifying Beowulf as the archetypal hero, demonstrating his rise into a fully-realized warrior, and subsequently explaining his failure to adapt as king, we might learn more about duty and how to mature with wisdom.

Romance on Display

It was at the Great Exhibition of 1851 where this medievalist took shape. Surrounded by glorious, modern riches from around the globe, it is impossible to not grasp the size of British influence. In such a time of change, it was necessary for the British public to cling to their past like a rock, firm in their foundations regardless of the uncertain future ahead.