I've drafted a book in verse I'm calling "The
Apology Box." As I finish polishing the parts, I plan to insert them
here. The book sets out pages from a box that fell from the sky.
The pages turn out to be judgment day speeches of various historical characters.
In addition to any merits the book may have as verse, I hope the book can (1)
prod the reader to survey the humanities to the extent required to understand
what the characters are discussing, (2) provide examples of what does and does
not work rhetorically, (3) explore how people were trapped by (or tried to use
and trap others with) the frameworks, prejudices, and commonplaces of their
times, and (4) help rekindle more interest in formalist verse. The speeches will vary in "quality" given the limitations of their authors and given such other accidents such as whether or not authors may have had assistance in their speeches (the box does not indicate who may or may not have had counsel or other assistance). My
original plan was to start with Adam and bring the book up to recent
decades. However, that project has proven too long which means the book may end up slanted purely by accident
toward more ancient figures including many Biblical ones. By omitting
more recent figures I don't mean to suggest they do not interest me. I am
just being realistic about time. To help balance this out, I've changed the book at points from a purely chronological order. I've posted a few of the finished speeches in other blogs and am
repeating them here where I feel they best fall. The book will grow from here as I add other
finished speeches in no particular order--the box was jumbled after all.
