Ralph Waldo Emerson called him “the jingle-man.” Henry James called his work “decidedly primitive.” Yet Edgar Allan Poe, nearly two centuries after his death, is now acclaimed as a writer on par with his best contemporaries. How did his reputation evolve? In the Times Literary Supplement, Marjorie Perloff reviews a new study of Poe by Jerome McGann.
The Craven
“If you must write prose or poems”
Stop the presses: Morrissey maybe, might, let's not hold our breaths yet but could possibly in fact be publishing a memoir. To be recited in front of the cemetery gates of your choosing.
Women Writing About War
Recommended Reading: Kayla Williams's overview of books about war written by women veterans. "Works have been published by women veterans from all four branches of service, officers and enlisted, active duty and reservists, and from multiple ethnic backgrounds. Their diverse voices can significantly deepen our understanding of both who volunteers to serve in today’s military and what they experience."
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Kai and Uncle Ruslan: When Memes Go Dark
“‘It’s important to realize how the funniness in these videos [such as those featuring Kai the axe-wielding hitchhiker and Uncle Ruslan] is really close to something that’s desperately unfunny,’ says Mark O’Connell, who wrote Epic Fail: Bad Art, Viral Fame, and the History of the Worst Thing Ever.”
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Emily Gould and Tao Lin Make a Salad
Emily Gould awkwardly prepares a salad with Tao Lin in the latest installment of Cooking the Books. (via The Awl)
Novel Reviews You
Maybe your novel got bad reviews, but at least you weren't attacked for it. This is the story of Oleg Kashin, a reporter-turned-novelist who was beaten to within an inch of his life for his critiques of the Russian government.
We Own the Internet
Looking to be a Content Generator for a Major Internet Website? Look no further than this piece from McSweeney's: "We pay $15 per piece of content, whether it be a well-cited, thoroughly researched 5,000-word essay or ten captions under fair-use photos, so, y’know, more bang for your buck with the photos. Also no one reads essays, so win-win."
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