The Lasting Stain of Political Violence: Han Kang’s The Vegetarian
Providing some historical context to Han King's The Vegetarian.
The Many Lives of the Angry Housewife
The housewife novel is having a comeback, continuing the tradition of exploring domesticity and self-hood in fiction.
Who Wrote the Book of Love?
Did the troubadours write the book of love, or just a kind of love poetry?
The Linguistics of Mass Persuasion: How Politicians Make “Fetch” Happen (Part I)
Inspired by the Gretchen famous line in the film Mean Girls, Chi Luu explores how politicians mobilize language to sway public opinion.
#1000BlackGirlBooks and the Importance of Diversity in Children’s Literature
The importance of diversity in children's literature, especially for young children of color.
How The New Republic Tried to Find Its Audience
In its early days, The New Republic tried many creative ways to rejuvenate its waning readership. Some were more successful than others.
What Did Idaho Have to Do With the Cold War?
The real life history behind the 1961 nuclear accident fictionalized in Andria Williams' The Longest Night.
Before KonMari and NotSorry, There Was the Samuel Smiles’ Guide to Self Help
Samuel Smiles' 1859 book, Self Help, offered a groundbreaking approach to self improvement.
Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning Was Both a Celebrity and a Superfan
As celebrity culture developed in nineteenth-century England, authors were at turns celebrated and celebrators of artists they admired.
Why We Love to Learn Klingon: The Art of Constructed Languages
Constructed languages like Klingon excite us because they enable us to actively participate in foreign or "alien" cultures.