Interview

A Clean, Well-Admired Style: Peter Hays On Ernest Hemingway’s Life and Art

One of America’s most celebrated writers of the 20th-century, Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) pioneered a simple and understated style of writing. He…

4 months ago

(Mis)understanding Wittgenstein: James Klagge Says Our Temperament May Be at Fault

Austrian-born English philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) is considered as one of the most influential although controversial thinkers of the 20th century. His work touched…

10 months ago

Whale of a Tale: John Bryant Uncovers the “Darkness Underneath the Surface” of American Writer Herman Melville

American novelist, short story writer, and poet, Herman Melville (1819-1891) is best known for his masterpiece Moby-Dick and his shorter works Typee, “Bartleby,”…

11 months ago

A Novelist and a Fabulist: Carl Rollyson Separates Fact from Fiction in William Faulkner’s Life

American author William Faulkner (1897-1962) became famous for his novels set in the American South, often in the fictional Yoknapatawpha…

1 year ago

Because She Could Not Stop Writing: Wendy Martin on Emily Dickinson’s Body of Work and “Life Full of Love and Joy”

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was an American poet who wrote nearly 1,800 poems, most of which were published posthumously. She composed…

3 years ago

On The Same Page with Jane Austen: Helena Kelly Sets the Record Straight About the English Novelist

Though relatively unknown during her lifetime, Jane Austen (1775–1817), is among the most widely read novelists in English literature. Her literary classics, such…

3 years ago

A Connecticut Yankee: R. Kent Rasmussen On Why Mark Twain Was “The First Truly American Writer”

If he had only written "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," Mark Twain would still be an American icon and a…

3 years ago

Killing Time: Julian Barbour Explains his “Timeless-view” of the Universe

Considered to be the most influential physicist of the 20th century, Albert Einstein (1879–1955) developed the theory of relativity and laid foundations for modern…

4 years ago

Mama’s Boy: Joel Whitebook on Sigmund Freud’s Enduring Influence

Although some of his theories are still hotly debated, Sigmund Freud, (May 6, 1856–September 23, 1939) is widely regarded as a…

4 years ago

On Logic, Language and Numbers: Sanford Shieh Discusses Gottlob Frege’s Enduring Mathematical Legacy

Friedrich Ludwig Gottlob Frege (1848-1925) was a German philosopher, logician, and mathematician responsible for the development

5 years ago