The Utopian Roots of the Artists’ Retreat
The modern artist's retreat has roots in industrial-era utopian communes.
In Which We Get to the Bottom of Some Crazy-Ass Language
Strong language has a unique place in linguistics.
Walt Whitman: (Happy Birthday) Song of Himself
Happy Birthday, Walt Whitman, you old bard and…politician. Clearly you like to sing to yourself, but let us join ...
The Delightful Language of Commencement
Commencement speeches have inspired, motivated and captivated many. Just what makes the words found in them so wonderful and life-affirming?
Geek Love: Our Modern Monster Story
The writer Katherine Dunn died last week at age 70. Anyone who ever felt like an outsider found a friend in her 1989 novel Geek Love.
“What a lark! What a plunge!”: Celebrating Mrs. Dalloway
Mrs. Dalloway was published on May 14, 1925. We look at the book 90+ years on.
Daniel Aaron: Americanist
Daniel Aaron, a forerunner in the field of American Studies, has passed away at 103.
The Best Book You’ve Never Read
The best book you've never read may just be 'Kristin Lavransdatter,' which won its author Sigrid Undset the Nobel Prize in 1928.
Charles Dickens and the Linguistic Art of the Minor Character
Charles Dickens' characters are famous for their elaborate, often hilarious names. Even for bit parts, Dickens' naming conventions were linguistically rich.
How Victorian Writers Eroticized Mormons
Victorian anti-Mormonism meant 19th-century Americans were both fascinated and frightened by Mormons' marriage and sexual practices.