A painting of Homer by William Blake

“Tell Me about a Complicated Man”: A Homer Reading List

The amount of scholarship on Homer and his works can be daunting. We've created this introductory reading list to help guide your explorations.
Edna St. Vincent Millay, 1913

13 Ways of Looking at Edna St. Vincent Millay

Poet, lover, outspoken political activist. Vincent, in all her complicated glory.
from Bouquet of Flowers in a Sculpted Vase by Jan Frans Eliaerts

The Charities That Gave Flowers to the Poor

Presenting impoverished city dwellers with a fresh bouquet might seem condescending. On the other hand, flowers are awesome.
Ruby Barker as Marina Thompson in the first season of Bridgerton

The “Tragic Mulatta” of Bridgerton

While colorblind casting increases opportunities for diverse casts, colorblindness after casting can result in the perpetuation of stereotypes.
Based on a color lithograph of ca. 1826 by Anthony Imbert, entitled Shakers near Lebanon

The Rhythms of Shaker Dance Marked the Shakers as “Other”

The name Shaker originally comes from the insult “Shaking Quakers,” which mocked the sect’s use of their bodies in worship.
Voltairine de Cleyre, Christmas 1891

Voltairine de Cleyre: American Radical

She was a notable anarchist thinker and speaker, but history has largely forgotten Voltairine de Cleyre.
Jarena Lee

Jarena Lee, The First Woman African American Autobiographer

Jarena Lee was the first female preacher in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1836, she published her autobiography.
WPA mural

Why Do We Take Pride in Working for a Paycheck?

In the modern imagination, work is a source of pride, but early labor unions regarded hourly toil in industry as "wage slavery."
Steel mill

Rebecca Harding Davis, American Realist

How do we record the voices of those who are silenced? We might do well to remember one of ...
Anne's Tablet (1916) by William Ordway Partridge to honor Constance Fenimore Woolson, Mackinac Island, Michigan.

The Submerged Sexuality of Constance Fenimore Woolson’s Fiction

Constance Fenimore Woolson was a renown American Realist writer in her day, but has since almost disappeared. Two new books attempt to change that.