so who or what is
?
Hello!
Mr. Renaissance: Spiritual and Philosophic Reflections was first launched on March 8th, 2001, with the original subtitle of One Man’s Struggle with Addiction; it has steadily grown since that time, now parked at its third domain, mrrena.com, via 1&1. It is the not-for-profit project of one person, namely myself: Eric Knickerbocker, a graduate student at Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and literature; I am also a Web developer on the side. Mr. Renaissance started out as a way to post my amateurish and rather artless pre-college writing, particularly in the form of an autobiography begun in 1998. I thought that the story of an individual who has battled addiction would be an encouragement to others, my appraisement of the piece far grander than it deserves, at least from a literary perspective. (This admission could explain why it remains unfinished?) As time went on, however, my writing began gaining increasing poise and confidence, no little reflection, I am certain, of the multiplying literature classes—or the college environment in general, for that matter. To date, the pages on this site number well over five hundred.
Within a year of Mr. Renaissance’s inception, a newsletter of sorts emerged, remaining unofficial and nameless until it eventually evolved into Le Penseur Réfléchit, the newsletter of spiritual and philosophic musings I send out every other Wednesday. Always fresh and up to date, its primary emphasis is on Christian apologetics, though it very much reflects the ups and downs of living the Christian life day by day. (Curious about the Le Penseur Réfléchit name? Read more about its significance here; to hear it pronounced, click the small bronze square here » .) Back issues can be accessed via the newsletter archives, and if you would like a freshly formatted Le Penseur Réfléchit to land in your inbox every other week, simply subscribe, totally free of charge. Addresses are not sold or given out for any reason; the address you provide will be used for the exclusive purpose of mailing you your newsletters.
Though Le Penseur Réfléchit is by far the most up-to-date project, there are other sides to this site as well. For articles ranging from research papers, essays, memoirs, inspirational writings, and poetry, click on any of the Misc./Archives links throughout this site. Particularly for (but certainly not limited to) those who subscribe to the newsletter, a discussion forum is available, which allows readers to participate. If you like quotations, Monsieur Renaissance : la page des citations might interest you; if you’re a poetry buff, try Onerous Musicalis for style. There is also a links page to help acquaint you with other quality sites on the Internet, several library collections, and a virtual potpourri of other reference material. If you are the sort of person who likes to let things happen as they will, you might want to try out the random link available at the bottom of all the web pages—you decide: is it chance or providence that determines the page upon which you land?
Note that all original material—that is, material written by myself (Eric)—has an open copyright that allows for unlimited distribution and re-posting for not-for-profit purposes, provided you credit the source. Note that you may, however, need to seek permission to re-post anything written by another author, as there are a few such pieces on this site. As always, you are welcome and invited to link to any page at any time for any reason. And would you like to inform your friends away from the computer? You can now download and print a PDF page of plain Mr. Renaissance business cards.
So to a parting question plenty of people have pondered: what is the significance of the name Mr. Renaissance? The answer is found in its definition, as the term renaissance refers to rebirth or reawakening—a second youth—a title first adopted as an artistic chapter title to describe a part of my life entailed in the autobiography on which we have agreed to cast our glance askance.
God bless,
Eric
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