Using the only known painting of Jane Austen to try to find out what killed her.
What killed Jane Austen?
Why On Earth
“Why on earth would you start a literary magazine?” In an essay for The New Yorker Stephen Burt offers a wide variety of answers, from promoting a new genre to promoting one’s friends. His article pairs well with our own Nick Ripatrazone‘s lit mag question and answer: “What is the wider cultural influence of literary magazines? I am not sure there needs to be one.”
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Following Franklin
“Who am I in the face of the Universe if not just a bro who wants to get stuff done?” Tim Goessling tried living a day according to Benjamin Franklin’s schedule listed in The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. What was his biggest takeaway? We should self-evaluate and set goals more.
Viet Thanh Nguyen and the Refugee’s Narrative
Viet Thanh Nguyen discusses the complexity behind refugee narratives and resisting the temptation of shallow representation.
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Facebook Overload
Pamela Paul’s recent New York Times piece on the “permanent reunion” Facebook has trapped us in and an 18-year-old’s op-ed in the New York Post about why the shallow connections of Facebook led him to quit, have me feeling queasy about checking my timeline. So, I’m re-reading Edan Lepucki’s essay about taking a social media detox instead. (Cue the cognitive dissonance of clicking the “like” button next to this entry.)
You’re Watching it Wrong!
“[From Russia With Love]’s lack of newness prevented connection with the audience. Scratch that. It wasn’t the film’s fault. It was the audience’s.”
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Constance Garnett Gets Her Due
Sara Wheeler tells the story of Constance Garnett, an "indefatigable worker" who translated the works of Dostoevsky and Chekhov.
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Know Your Facial Hair Etymology
Did you know sideburns got their name from the extravagant facial hair of a 19th century American soldier by the name of Ambrose E. Burnside?
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Hemingway Double Shot
Got a couple thousand bucks lying around? You can place a bid on one of Ernest Hemingway’s love letters. Or, for a more modest price of “free,” you can read Tim Weed’s rumination entitled “Chasing Hemingway’s Ghost in Havana.”
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