Paul Adrian Fried / HAMLET'S BIBLE

[Spoiler alert for those who have not seen Disney's Frozen, Moana, or Frozen II.] Many people have low expectations of sequels films. If a first film produced by a large entertainment corporation makes money, it's expected that they will ride the wave of popularity and make a sequel to continue to reap rewards from renewed interest. I had low expectations of Frozen II , released in late November of 2019. The first film (released November 27, 2013) seemed too centered on the narcissistic adventures of a firstborn daughter with special powers (what first-born doesn't feel they have special powers?) who feels she had to repress those powers and be a "good girl." In the end, she and her younger sister are redeemed by love, with help from a snowman, a reindeer, and a woodsman who grew up as an orphan, raised by trolls (some of whom, for some reason, turn out to be Jewish in spirit ( as some noted ), as demonstrated in the song, "She's a Bit of a Fixer-Up...

PAPER ACCEPTED FOR 2018 SEPTEMBER SW CCL I recently had another paper accepted, this one for the the 2018 Southwest Conference on Christianity and Literature at Oklahoma Baptist University in late September. The theme of the conference is "Gathering in the Strange: Literary Vision in a Disenchanted World." Related to the theme of "the Strange," my paper will examine four works that echo aspects of the biblical Emmaus story about meeting Christ in the stranger. I have briefly written about two of these in past LinkedIn posts: In The Merchant of Venice https://lnkd.in/dynRAwu and in Hamlet https://lnkd.in/egrcrUa I'll also examine Emmaus plot elements in Flannery O'Connor's short story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find," and in (gasp!) the Disney film, Moana; this is especially striking once spotted in Moana. Welcoming the stranger exposes one to danger and enemies. But if we neglect the stranger out of fear, then we miss the chance to...