What Madame Bovary Revealed About the Freedom of the Press
Gustave Flaubert was put on trial for obscenity. Why didn't he fight government censorship harder?
10 Classic Christmas Stories
We've gathered up some of our favorite literary takes on Christmas.
Jane Austen and the Value of Flaws
Jane Austen is known for self-assured heroines and love stories. But she also wrote a lot about the importance of being wrong.
The Strange Tale of the Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program
In the 1960s, over seventy scientists and graduate students traveled to U.S. outlying islands as part of the Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program.
How Trump’s Generals May Change Washington
President-elect Donald Trump formally named Marine ex-General James Mattis his nominee for Secretary of Defense, following his pick ...
Inside a Nineteenth-Century Quest to End Addiction
In 1880, Dr. Leslie E. Keeley promised a cure for the disease of drunkenness. The community he developed influenced our understanding of treating addiction.
What Santa Claus Looks Like
Where does the figure of Santa Claus come from? Turns out the answer is not "the North Pole." And he's not just about Christianity, either.
School Choice Since 1800
Donald Trump is putting forward a plan to massively increase the use of public money to pay students’ ...
Full Disclosure: Why We Say Too Much When We Write Online
The internet is an emotional vampire. Scroll through your latest social network updates—or the headlines on Medium and ...
Suggested Readings: Dinosaur Feathers, Filthy Showerheads, and the American Dream
Extra Credit: Our pick of stories from around the web that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.