Category: Editors
The “Nightmare” of the Unmediated Life
Reading Life, Animated by Ron Suskind opens the eyes to the prevalence of mediated forms in everyday American life. In his book, Suskind relates the journey of his family of […]
Dickinson and SWU
Almost everyone who has read Emily Dickinson’s work probably knows that she did not care to go out very often. I agree whole-heartedly with that mentality. The problem is that […]
Eat Your Bret Harte Out
We read a lot of different stories and most of them are short stories that seem to have an end where everyone just has to feel empty inside. Here’s a […]
Rappaccini is Catholic
It took me a good two pages before I learned that Rappaccini is a symbol for the Catholic Priest. “His figure soon emerged into view, and showed itself to be […]
From Gold Rush to Literary Fame
When most people hear the name Bret Harte they immediately think of the famous wrestler from the ’80s and ’90s, but few would think you were talking about the 19th […]
Lessons from the Harte
This week in American Literature we read three short stories by Bret Harte. The stories were set in California during the gold rush. There was one thing in his stories […]
Happily Never After
Lyssa Henry Why do we think we need a happy ending for every story? Culturally, Americans seem to be very sensitive. In old fairy tales from other countries, things didn’t […]
Fame after Death
Emily Dickinson was a reclusive American poet who was a lot like Poe in that she was largely a misunderstood person but held a great talent for writing and deeply […]
A story with a purpose
In 1852 Harriet Beecher Stowe published arguably one of the most important pieces of literature in history; Uncle Tom’s Cabin. An anti-slavery novel that was inspired by the 1850 Fugitive Slave […]
The Joys of Literary Traveling
There is no Frigate like a BookTo take us Lands away _ Emily Dickinson There comes a point in every bibliophile’s life when someone has the nerve to utter the words […]
Preferences and Priorities
Rebecca Reese At the beginning of this week, Dr. Schleifer opened his discussion on Walt Whitman by saying, “I’m just going to put this out there. I do not like […]
A Book for the Ages
Dynestee Fields What images come to mind when you think of the word “timeless?” Is it sunrise climbing over a mountaintop? Is it Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa? Is it Meghan […]