Celebrating Twain!
Tuesday November 30, 2004
Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri. He was the fifth surviving child of John and Jane Lampton Clemens. Mark Twain is one ... Read More
About C.S. Lewis
Monday November 29, 2004
Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland, on November 29, 1898. C.S. Lewis was one of the most versatile figures in literary history. He dreamed of becoming a great ... Read More
William Blake
Sunday November 28, 2004
William Blake was born in London on November 28, 1757. He was the third son of a London hosier. Largely self-taught, Blake read the Bible, John Milton, Greek classics, Latin ... Read More
Speed Reading
Saturday November 27, 2004
Speed reading isn't just about reading books fast; it's also about understanding what you read. Speed reading can help you get through the reading selection--whether you're reading the questions for ... Read More
History of the English Bible
Friday November 26, 2004
In the prologue of "Wide as Waters: the Story of the English Bible and the Revolution it Inspired," Benson Bobrick writes, "Next to the Bible itself, the English Bible was ... Read More
Hobbit Auction
Friday November 26, 2004
With "The Hobbit," J.R.R. Tolkien launched Middle-Earth, with memorable characters like Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin, Gollum, and Smaug. According to BBC News, a first edition of "The Hobbit" sold at auction ... Read More
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thursday November 25, 2004
Whether you're enjoying the food, family, or just taking a day off, have a very happy Thanksgiving. Here are a few bits to read on this day:
Jane Murray's Thanksgiving
A Thanksgiving ... Read More
What About the Brontes?
Wednesday November 24, 2004
In her journey to demythologize the Brontė sisters, Miller focuses most closely on Charlotte Brontė, whose ambition from an early age was to be "forever known." Read more about Charlotte ... Read More
The House Where Tolkien Wrote
Tuesday November 23, 2004
Today, BBC News reported that J.R.R. Tolkien's house has won "protected status." According to the article: "The listed status means that any future alterations will have to respect the character ... Read More
Thinking of Thanksgiving...
Monday November 22, 2004
When I think of Thanksgiving, it isn't about the food, or the cold wind outside, or the hot apple cider... I think it always made sense that Thanksgiving is about ... Read More
Plagiarism or Other Mishaps: Word Use and Abuse
Sunday November 21, 2004
In an article for The Guardian, Robert McCrum writes, "Plagiarism as we know it today has a short history. It was the Romantics, for whom the originality of a thought ... Read More
London: City of Fog and Love?
Saturday November 20, 2004
In a new article for The Guardian, James Campbell writes, "Paris is the city of light, art and romance, and London the city of fog, industry and buttoned-up behaviour, but ... Read More
Magnify Your Reading Experience -- Light It Up
Friday November 19, 2004
Even if you have great eyesight now, you may find yourself squinting after hours of studying or reading small print. Reading glasses allow you to read books more easily--whether you're ... Read More
In Search of Atlantis: a Lost World
Thursday November 18, 2004
What happened to Atlantis, that lost civilization that vanished without a trace? Atlantis has captured our imaginations; and poets, writers, philosophers, and dreamers continue delve into the secrets of that ... Read More
Translating the Bible
Thursday November 18, 2004
According to CNN, "Biblical scholar Robert Alter's major new English translation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible -- alternately called the Five Books of Moses, the Torah ... Read More
Views of War: Sassoon
Wednesday November 17, 2004
According to a new article by John Ezard, for The Guardian, "The bravest and most publicly outspoken of all Britain's anti-war poets, Siegfried Sassoon, was the author of a gung-ho ... Read More
Poetry Speaks
Tuesday November 16, 2004
If you've ever wondered what the writer thought of his or her work, how he or she wanted the words to sound, how the rise and fall of the lines ... Read More
Frost and Pumpkins
Tuesday November 16, 2004
Whether it's frost or snow that's covering the ground outside where you live, it's certainly Autumn! Did you ever memorize "When the Frost is on the Punkin"? I vividly remember ... Read More
Gerhart Hauptmann
Monday November 15, 2004
(1862-1946) German writer. Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann was born on November 15, 1862. Hauptmann's works include: "Before Sunrise" (1889), "Drayman Henschel," "Lonely Lives," "The Weavers," "Hannele" (1893), "The Sunken Bell" ... Read More
On this Day: a Work
Sunday November 14, 2004
In "To Mr. Barbauld, November 14, 1778," Anna Laetitia Aikin (Barbauld) writes:
"Come, clear thy studious looks awhile, 'T is arrant treason now To wear that moping brow, When I, ... Read More
Talking Turkey: Thanksgiving is Coming!
Saturday November 13, 2004
Thanksgiving is long over in Canada, but we still have a bit to wait here in the U.S. While you wait for the enjoyment of good food, family, friends, and ... Read More
Defending Plath's Legacy
Saturday November 13, 2004
In a new article from The Guardian, Frieda Hughes writes about the newly restored edition of "Ariel," by Sylvia Plath. As she says, "Since she died my mother has been ... Read More
How to Enjoy Grammar
Friday November 12, 2004
Is it possible to enjoy grammar? Why does it really have to be so difficult anyway? Grammar is the study of words and how they combine to form sentences, but ... Read More
Buying the Greatest Collection of Romantic Literature
Thursday November 11, 2004
According to The Independent, "the greatest collection of Romantic literature in private hands" has been purchased by the Wordsworth trust, which ensured that the collection would not be split up ... Read More
All About the Soldiers
Thursday November 11, 2004
On November 11th, we commemorate the dead and honor the soldiers who came home from the horrors of war. Read more about the soldiers in works by some of our ... Read More
Fyodor (Mikhaylovich) Dostoevsky
Thursday November 11, 2004
Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) was one of the greatest and most influential Russian writers of the 19th century. He was born on November 11, 1881, in Moscow. Dostoevsky was famous for ... Read More
Discovering the Works: Geoffrey Chaucer
Wednesday November 10, 2004
If you've never read any of the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, you've missed out! Chaucer is one of the greatest writers in literary history, known for "The Canterbury Tales" and ... Read More
Awakening to Literature
Tuesday November 9, 2004
The novel for which Kate Chopin is now primarily known is "The Awakening," but the work was also the source of much controversy. Chopin was nearly forgotten when "The Awakening" ... Read More
Guides to Collecting
Monday November 8, 2004
Learn about the history of book collecting; understand what to do (and not to do) when you're building your collection of books. Discover what to look for in book collecting: ... Read More
William Carlos Williams: Selected Poems
Sunday November 7, 2004
"No poetry is more fresh, more immediate, more deftly challenging," writes editor Robert Pinsky. "William Carlos Williams is at the center of one of poetry's greatest historical flowerings." In this ... Read More
The Journey of Life: So Big
Saturday November 6, 2004
In a juxtaposition of city and farm life of So Big, Ferber offers an exploration of the journey of life, with all the realities of love, death, failure and success. ... Read More
Connecting With Poetry
Friday November 5, 2004
In an article for The Guardian, David McKie says, "The lasting deformity that comes from a life in newspapers is that you can't read slowly." Read more about connecting with ... Read More
Benjamin Franklin
Thursday November 4, 2004
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) once wrote, "If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead & rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing." ... Read More
Mark Twain's Life
Wednesday November 3, 2004
Mark Twain is one of the most popular writers in American literature. He lived a rich and varied life--full of adventure. He traveled around the world, and wrote about his ... Read More
Adventures in Alaska: The Call of the Wild
Wednesday November 3, 2004
"The Call of the Wild" was written by Jack London. It was published in 1903, and is one of London's best known works. London's stories about Alaska have inspired many ... Read More
Narratives of Slaves
Tuesday November 2, 2004
Slave narratives are an important part of American literature. Writers like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs helped to dispell many of the misconceptions of slavery, as they revealed personal experiences. ... Read More
Why We Vote?
Tuesday November 2, 2004
Whatever your political affiliation, it's a simple matter to think and write about the concept of voting, making your voice heard. But what does voting have to do with literature?
Throughout ... Read More
Thornton Wilder: Skin of Our Teeth
Monday November 1, 2004
"The Skin of Our Teeth," by Thornton Wilder was published in 1943 to critical and controversial acclaim. The play is a hilarious romp through human experience, taking in many of ... Read More
Stephen Crane
Monday November 1, 2004
Stephen Crane was born on November 1, 1871 in Newark, New Jersey. He is perhaps most famous for "The Red Badge of Courage" (1895), which brought him international acclaim. With ... Read More