Suggested Readings: High Deductibles, Bad Marriages, and Mr. Darcy
Extra Credit: Our pick of stories from around the web that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
How Slaughterhouse-Five Made Us See the Dresden Bombing Differently
The bombing of Dresden, Germany, which began February 13, 1945, was once viewed as a historical footnote. Until Slaughterhouse-Five was published.
Edgar Allan Poe and the Power of a Portrait
Edgar Allan Poe knew that readers would add their visual image of the author to his work to create a personality that informed their reading.
The Mystery of the Mona Lisa
The mystery surrounding the 1911 theft and subsequent conspiracy theory catapulted the Mona Lisa into the popular imagination.
How Women’s Studies Erased Black Women
The founders of Women’s Studies were overwhelmingly white, and focused on the experiences of white, heterosexual women.
The Weird Fairy Circles of Namibia
The deserts of Namibia are dotted with odd circular bare patches, ringed by the dry desert grasses. They're called "fairy circles." It’s a desert whodunit.
Zadie Smith
Ever since the publication of White Teeth, Zadie Smith has made a career of writing about the actual experiences behind topics like race and immigration.
The Forgotten Women Physicians of World War I
For women physicians, WWI was an opportunity for service that highlighted their deeply ambiguous position, as Ellen More explained in a 1989 paper.
Bring Your Own Applause: What Donald Trump and Roman Emperor Nero Have in Common
A claque is a centuries-old showmanship technique that has been used by entertainers and politicians since the Roman Empire.
Why Ronald Reagan Became the Great Deregulator
How did deregulation, and related ideas about how to run the economy, become so central to American politics? Look to Reagan for the answer.