By Taylor Jasmine | On October 29, 2017 | Updated September 14, 2026 | Comments (0)
In Silly Novels by Lady Novelists, one of George Eliot’s most famous essays, she slammed her sister writers who flooded the market with formulaic romantic novels. They might be the equivalent of today’s trashier romance novels, with more archaic language and no bodice-ripping.
This essay is written in a tone that today might be described as “snarky.” Eliot skewered the popular, frothy women’s novels with their vacuous, heroines and clichéd plots, characterization, and language. Read More→
By Taylor Jasmine | On October 17, 2017 | Updated May 2, 2023 | Comments (2)
Contributed by James Gaynor, author of Pride and Prejudice in 61 Haiku: Emily Dickinson once famously remarked that if she felt as though the top of her head were taken off, she knew she was reading poetry. And who among us did not read, “It is a truth universally acknowledged …” and feel our heads explode?
So, if Jane Austen has been hiding her poet self in prose, how better to acknowledge the power of her collective one-line poetry than by translating all of Pride and Prejudice’s 61 opening-sentence poems into contemporary twists on the classic Japanese 17-syllable haiku? Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On October 11, 2017 | Updated April 6, 2026 | Comments (3)
Ann Petry (1908 – 1997) is known as the first African American woman who wrote a book that sold a million copies. The Street (1946) ultimately sold a million and a half copies. Following are some fascinating facts about Ann Petry, a classic American author who deserves to be more widely read.
Her writing career began in earnest in 1938 when she moved from her native Connecticut to Harlem. There she worked as a journalist, columnist, and editor.
She also participated in Harlem’s American Negro Theatre. Subsquently, she published three novels, a collection of short stories, and several children’s books. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On October 7, 2017 | Updated March 29, 2026 | Comments (0)
Presented here is a selection of illustrations by Frank T. Merrill from the 1896 edition Little Women (first published in 1868). These are but a fraction of the 200 illustrations in total. You can see this edition in its entirety on Project Gutenberg.
Louisa May Alcott’s best known novel, Little Women, was seemed to be an overnight success for its author. In truth, she had years of writing behind her before this success seemed to arrive so suddenly.
She cranked out thrillers, gothic novels, plays, sketches, and more than eighty articles before penning the somewhat autobiographical (if highly idealized) novel that cemented her name and reputation for time immemorial. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On October 7, 2017 | Updated December 6, 2022 | Comments (0)
You know an author has become a cultural icon when they’re depicted on a postage stamp (or set of stamps). Here’s a selection of beautiful Agatha Christie postage stamps from around the world.
Stamps about Christie, alternately known as the “Queen of Crime” or “Queen of Mystery,” are the subject of a triple-honor treatment, with her portrait gracing a number of stamps from various countries, along with her iconic characters and even her books. Let’s take a look: Read More→
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