“The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Allan Poe: Annotated
Poe's 1841 story, arguably the first detective fiction, contains many tropes now considered standard to the genre, including a brilliant, amateur detective.
The Theory Journal: Still Trendy after All These Years?
A wave of academic periodicals devoted to theory started appearing in the 1970s. Criticism wasn't far behind.
William Blake, Radical Abolitionist
Blake’s works offer an alternative to the failures of the Enlightenment, which couldn’t muster a consistent argument for abolition.
Wild and Finally Free in Lauren Groff’s Florida
Lauren Groff’s latest story collection explores the literary archetype of the Orphan.
Queer Time: The Alternative to “Adulting”
What constitutes adulthood has never been self-evident or value-neutral. Queer lives follow their own temporal logic.
Book Club Made Me Gay
Book clubs and reading groups have long been important to marginalized communities.
How to Understand the Resurgence of Eugenics
The extreme right wing has brought the discredited idea of eugenics back into the national conversation. Brave New World and Gattaca offer perspective.
Jamaica, Ithaca, and Seinfeldia
Our Friday Reads are these five new books out this week, and links to related content you won’t find anywhere else.
Dispatch from Jaipur Literary Festival 2016: The Greatest Literary Show on Earth
The JLF brings together writers from all over the world for readings, lectures, discussions and celebration at the Diggi Palace in Jaipur, India.
On The Cultural Logic of Prizes
Prizes and awards are forms of cultural capital in prestige-making projects.