Fractured Odysseus
The psychiatrist Jonathan Shay’s books on Homer are the key to Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey
By Colin Dickey Thursday, August 20, 2026
Gratitude Isn’t Everything
The revolutionary Patriots owed much to their forefathers, but their fight for universal rights embraced a wider mission
By Robert A. Gross Friday, July 31, 2026
It All Comes Down to This
As the recent World Cup showed, the drama of a penalty shootout can at times be Shakespearean
By Eric Wills Thursday, July 30, 2026
What He Stood For
How Angus Cameron, one of the most significant editors in the history of American publishing, responded to being targeted by the McCarthy blacklist
By Jonathan Coleman Friday, April 24, 2026
Who Is Blake Whiting?
The most astonishingly productive historian in recent times is someone you’ll never meet
By Andrew Lawler Thursday, April 16, 2026
The Importance of Being Idle
What Paul Lafargue taught us about work
By Robert Zaretsky Monday, March 30, 2026
Gilded Guilt
On Taylor Swift, Julian Fellowes, and the class conflicts that never die
By Jessa Crispin Friday, February 13, 2026
The Popper Principle
Did Plato really espouse ideas that led eventually to totalitarianism?
By Robert Zaretsky Thursday, January 29, 2026
It’s a Wonderful (Falling Apart) Life
In the disrepair of our everyday world are suggestions of life’s burdens and consolations
By Ben Slote Friday, December 19, 2025
The Conspiracist Cotton Mather
The zealot who oversaw the Salem Witch Trials initially voiced restraint—what changed?
By Colin Dickey Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Trouble on the Chesapeake
A new proposal to clean up the bay raises old questions for environmental reformers
By James Conaway Thursday, August 22, 2019
Better on Paper
What the success of a small local newspaper can tell us about the future of print
By Walter Nicklin Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Pathfinder
Toni Morrison showed all of us the legacy of slavery
By Deirdre Donahue Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Rising Again
A writer finds much that hasn’t changed in the former Confederacy
By Dennis Covington Monday, July 22, 2019
Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divideby Tony Horwitz
Bless Us, O Instagram
The social media site has popularized grain bowls, kale smoothies—and a new form of prayer
By Theodore Gioia Monday, July 1, 2019
The Great Summer Read
Why do we persist in this often futile literary quest?
