The Collapse of Meaning in a Post-Truth World
2016 was certainly an unstable time in history. Even the way we use language to convey our collective fears about the state of society seems fractured.
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?
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.
On The Black Skyscraper: An Interview with Literary Critic Adrienne Brown
Early skyscrapers changed the ways we see race, how we see bodies, how we perceive and make judgments about people in the world.
The Cozy Linguistics of Hygge and Other “Untranslatable” Words
Why English speakers love "hygge" and other "untranslatable" words about emotional states.
Louisa May Alcott, Servant
She’s best known as the intrepid author of Little Women, but Louisa May Alcott was once a domestic servant.
Synesthetic Adjectives Will Make You Eat Your Words
Fragrant. Sweet. Tangy. Certain synesthetic adjectives actually trigger cognitive simulations of eating.
Is Audio Really the Future of the Book?
The upsurge in audiobooks and podcasts illustrates our heightened interest in digital storytelling, but does listening really count as reading?