Assigned Reading

With the Feast of Epiphany upon us, it is time for another Pointless Digressions assigned reading list. Recommended for Epiphany--January 6--are Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," "Journey of the Magi" by Paul William Roberts, and Michel Tournier's "The Four Wise Men."

Of course, everyone knows (doesn't everyone?) T.S. Eliot's "Journey of the Magi" ("A cold coming we had of it, just the worst time of the year for a journey, and such a long journey") and it will be read again, but the other writings, perhaps not as well known, also are rewarding.

Certainly the title "Twelfth Night" is familiar, and its first line often quoted--"If music be the food of love, play on"--and some will remember that at the end of "Shakespeare in Love" Gwyneth Paltrow is seen walking out of the sea into what will be "Twelfth Night." But the significance of the play for this season is that it was commissioned by the court of James 1 for performance on Epiphany, and it was given that performance by Shakespeare's company of players January 6, 1601, for January 6 is the twelfth night past Christmas.

Paul William Roberts's "Journey of the Magi" is very different from Eliot's--funnier, for one thing. It's an account of the author's travel, by car and camel, from Iran to Bethlehem, the supposed route of the Magi. Roberts's chauffeur/guide is Reza, cheerfully profane in broken English.

The Magi were named Balthazar, Gaspar and Melchior--names not among the most popular with 21st century parents. In his novel, Michel Tournier introduces a fourth--Taor, Prince of Mangalore. It is a profound and moving story, and one more reason why Tournier should be considered for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Then there's James Joyce, who gave the word "epiphany" new resonance in literary discussions, so you could, perhaps, read "Dubliners" as well.

Test on January 7.