How Emily Dickinson Wrestled with Darwinism
The current vogue for the Amherst poet needs to give credit to the way she readily examined her childhood ideas about fixed and immutable truth.
When Language Goes Viral
How do innocuous words become insidious in the face of a public health emergency?
How Do We Know That Epic Poems Were Recited from Memory?
Scholars once doubted that pre-literate peoples could ever have composed and recited poems as long as the Odyssey. Milman Parry changed that.
Why Cupid Rules Valentine’s Day
The rascally cherub has been part of Valentine's Day lore since Chaucer’s time.
Black English Matters
People who criticize African American Vernacular English don't see that it shares grammatical structures with more "prestigious" languages.
Is Emma Really the Heroine of Emma?
Jane Austen gave her character Emma Woodhouse plenty of off-putting qualities. So does she even deserve her popularity?
Ray Bradbury on War, Recycling, and Artificial Intelligence
As the 21st century unravels, Ray Bradbury remains a fundamental figure of the sci-fi genre.
Is Jane Austen the Antidote to Social Media Overload?
Racking up likes and followers today resembles the nonstop friending of 19th-century England. But Austen's characters figured out how to disengage.
Asimov’s Empire, Asimov’s Wall
The science fiction author Isaac Asimov engaged in forms of unwanted touching with countless women. It set the tone for the entire genre.