Arts & Letters Daily

Moscow

thuudung — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 02:00:35 +0000

Rich and poor, rectitude and laxity, sacred and profane: Moscow has always abounded in contrasts. Flowing through the city’s dichotomous terrain: vodka… more»

Online education and the university experience

thuudung — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 02:00:10 +0000

Technology is always reinventing college. First it was television, then pre-broadband Internet. Both failed. Now it’s MOOCs. This time is different… more»

When nuns puked nails

thuudung — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 02:00:08 +0000

Demonic possession might explain your convulsions, vomiting, or visions. But what explains the popularity of demons, in the 16th century and today?… more»

On Athanasius Kircher

thuudung — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 02:00:44 +0000

Part Jesuit, part scholar, part P.T. Barnum: Athanasius Kircher knew so much about so many things, and much of what he knew was wrong… more»

Narratives of war

thuudung — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 02:00:26 +0000

And now Michael Howard anoints a new Clausewitz. His name: Emile Simpson, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Are his ideas the future of military strategy?… more»

Have we evolved to be nasty or nice?

thuudung — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 02:00:15 +0000

Are people naturally cooperative or selfish? Neither. People are both nasty and nice. What determines which one you get? The circumstances… more»

Willa Cather in her own words

thuudung — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 02:00:39 +0000

Scholars have known that Willa Cather’s letters are revelatory about her writing and secretive personal life. But they couldn’t be quoted. Until now… more»

Reassessing Edward Thomas

thuudung — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 02:00:35 +0000

When Edward Thomas was killed, in 1917, his reputation rested on his prose: 20 books, 70 articles, 1,900 reviews. He wrote on deadline, but he was no hack… more»

What does poetry need?

thuudung — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 02:00:14 +0000

Prizes, fellowships, and an emphasis on collegiality have tamed the poetic impulse. What does poetry need? More spleen, more satire, more venom… more»

Cabinet magazine rewrites the encyclopedia

thuudung — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:00:53 +0000

In the pages of Cabinet, insecure academics commiserate with insecure artists. The magazine is idiosyncratic, goofy, and a consistent delight… more»