George Orwell’s 1984
George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 finds itself at the top of the best-seller lists this week, the first of Trump’s presidency.
Very British Villains (and Other Anglo-Saxon Attitudes to Accents)
What do peoples' accents really reveal about them? The villainous British accent crystallizes the love-hate special relationship between the US and the UK.
Jack London’s Double
When London heard someone was impersonating him, he did exactly what you’d think he’d do: he tracked him down.
Voodoo and the Work of Zora Neale Hurston
Author Zora Neale Hurston, born on January 7, 1891, is perhaps best known for Their Eyes Were Watching ...
The Revelatory Rabbits of Watership Down
On Christmas Eve we lost Richard Adams, the British writer whose 1972 novel Watership Down became one of the bestselling children’s books of all time.
How Charles Dickens Set the American Christmas Dinner Table
How did a religious celebration turn into a holiday that is all about home, family, and Christmas dinner? Turns out Charles Dickens has a lot to do with it.
The Art of Cutting Up Shakespeare
We should acknowledge the connection between cuts as bodily violence and cuts as violent ways of making art.