Baedeker

A widely used 19th Century travel guide which became, metaphorically, the name for guides of all kinds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balaam's ass

Balaam was "[A] non-Israelite prophet described in the Old Testament (Num. 22-24) as a diviner who is importuned by Balak, the king of Moab, to place a malediction on the people of Israel, who are camped ominously on the plains of Moab. Balaam states that he will utter only what his god Yahweh inspires, but he is willing to accompany the Moabite messengers to Balak. He is met en route by an angel of Yahweh, who is recognized only by Balaam's ass, which refuses to continue. Then Balaam's eyes are opened, and the angel permits him to go to Balak but commands him not to curse but to bless Israel. Despite pressure from Balak, Balaam remains faithful to Yahweh and blesses the people of Israel. In later literature (specifically, the Second Letter of Peter 2:15), however, Balaam is held up as an example of one who apostasized for the sake of material gain" [Britannica Online].

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baptists

"Protestant Christians who accept the basic tenets of the 16th-century Reformation (justification by faith, the authority of the Scriptures, and the priesthood of the believer) but have added other beliefs and practices, including baptism of believers by immersion only, the separation of church and state, and the autonomy of the local church. The Baptists are important for their emphasis on these and other beliefs and for their numbers" [Microsoft Encarta].

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bartleby

Character in Melville's novella, "Bartelby the Scivener." An employee in a law office, he refuses to do any work of any kind, answering "I would prefer not to" to all requests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation, the premier television and radio network in the United Kingdom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

behaviorism

"Behaviorism, a movement in psychology that advocates the use of strict experimental procedures to study observable behavior (or responses) in relation to the environment (or stimuli). The behavioristic view of psychology has its roots in the writings of the British associationist philosophers . . . as well as in the American functionalist school of psychology . . . and the Darwinian theory of evolution, both of which emphasize the way that individuals adapt and adjust to the environment" [Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation].

 

 

 

 

 

 

Belfast

Northern Island's capital city.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bellerophon

Greek hero who, with the help of Pegasus, defeated the Chimera.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beowulf

8th Century A. D. Old English epic poem, fusing pagan mythology and Christian symbolism, about the hero Beowulf's defeat of the monster Grendel and the later death of Beowulf in a battle with a dragon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bhagavad Gita

("Song of the Lord"), a Sanskrit poem, consisting of 700 verses divided into 18 chapters, that is regarded by most Hindus as their most important text-the essence of their belief. Almost every significant Hindu philosopher has written a commentary on the Gita, and new translations and interpretations continue to appear [Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation].

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biographia Literaria

1817 book by Coleridge, part autobiography, part literary criticism.

 

 

 

 

 

 

black box

In the philosophy of science describes a kind of theory which only purports to explain by lumping together a variety of poorly understood phenonenona in a "black box" and then giving the accumulation a name that in reality explains nothing. "Instinct" is often cited as an example of a "black box" theory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black Elk Speaks

The 1932 autobiography of Lakota Sioux holy man Black Elk, as told to and transcribed by Nebraska poet John G. Neihardt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

black holes

Points in space, proposed by modern physics, in which energy has, in effect, imploded, resulting in "singularities" from which light cannot escape because the pull of gravity is too great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

B.litt

In the British university system, an advanced, "graduate" degree, requiring completion of a thesis. Barfield's Poetic Diction was his thesis for his B.litt degree at Oxford.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Bluspels and Flalansferes: A Semantic Nightmare"

Essay by C. S. Lewis, included in Selected Literary Essays (1969).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bodleian Library

The main library of the University of Oxford, one of the oldest libraries in the world, dating from the 16th century.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brahman

The name--central to Vedanta--for that "essentially pure, unchangeable, and eternal" being "in which all things have their origin and end" (Reese 66-67).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brandeis University

Private university, sponsored by the Jewish community, located in Waltham, Massachusetts. Barfield was a visiting professor there in 1965 and delivered the lectures that would become Speaker's Meaning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

British Museum

Founded in London in the 18th century, one of the world's foremost museums.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brownian Movement/Brownian Motion

The ever-present motion of particles suspended in a fluid or in a gas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buddhism

A religion, prominent in India, China, and Japan, comprising many sects and schools, inspired by the teachings of the Buddha.