The Return of the Hidden Hero
The hero/king/god isn’t dead, he’s just sleeping, often under a mountain, waiting for the day his people really need him.
What If We’ve Been Misunderstanding Monsters?
Fictional evil creatures might be more nuanced—and have more to teach us—than has long seemed.
How an Incan Nobleman Contested Spanish History
Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala left behind a one-of-a-kind object that undermines the crónicas de Indias.
The Paradoxical Pomegranate
Aphrodisiac and contraceptive, enflaming and cooling, the pomegranate was a balancing act, mediating between opposing states.
A Brief History of Literary Cats
There’s nothing like curling up with a good book and a soft cat. Even better is a book with a cat in it.
The Plagiarism Scandal That Ended Nella Larsen’s Career
Larsen's 1930 story "Sanctuary" had a similar plot to an earlier British story. So what? Perhaps the tale never really belonged to either writer.
The Ecological Prescience of Dune
Frank Herbert’s novel isn't just about space messiahs, giant sandworms, and trippy space drugs. At its core, the sci-fi epic is about ecology.
Would You Let Your Servant Read This Book?
How the ban on D. H. Lawrence's book Lady Chatterley's Lover was reversed.
The Power of Sibling Bonds in The Brothers Karamazov
In the year of Dostoevsky's bicentennial, a revisiting of familial relationships in one of his most popular works.
