THE FILMS of Derek Jarman are difficult to categorize. Ethereal, sensual, and for the most part without a clear narrative line, they reflect his varied creative talents and resonate with his ruling passions. In addition to his film work, Jarman was also an accomplished painter, designer, and poet. These interests all played a role in shaping his unique films, as did his interest in an arcane mix of subjects that included Jungian psychology and symbolism, the life and work of Renaissance magus John Dee, and the work of William Blake. …

SIR PHILIP SIDNEY supposedly said, “Only a fool has never written a sonnet, and only a fool has written more than one sonnet.” But Sidney wrote scores of them, and Shakespeare penned over 150. Edmund Miller has surpassed both poets in sheer quantity. …

SOME DUST has begun to settle on C. A. Tripp’s controversial new book, The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln. For several weeks after the book’s publication last January, the media swirled with news reports, interviews, editorial cartoons, online forums, and even satires. The reviews have been surprisingly positive-but …

EMILY DICKINSON inhabited a world of daisies, calla lilies, bourbon roses, sweet sultans, and verbena (among other flowers), not only in her symbolic use of such flowers in her poetry, but literally, as a horticulturalist who spent many hours cultivating her garden. …