Fiction | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/fiction/RSS feed for FictionenTue, 31 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000Charles Dickens Searched the Streets of London and Found Inspiration for His Evocative Fictionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/charles-dickens-searched-the-streets-of-london-and-found-inspiration-for-his-evocative-fiction-180988451/A three-part BBC series will examine how real events shaped the 19th-century British author's writing. The show is part of the National Year of Reading in the U.K.Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/charles-dickens-searched-the-streets-of-london-and-found-inspiration-for-his-evocative-fiction-180988451/Does This Skeleton Found Beneath a Dutch Church Belong to D'Artagnan, the Man Who Inspired 'The Three Musketeers'?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-skeleton-found-beneath-the-floor-of-a-dutch-church-may-belong-to-dartagnan-the-fourth-musketeer-180988448/Workers discovered the skeleton during recent repair work at the church in Maastricht. D'Artagnan died during the siege of the city in 1673Fri, 27 Mar 2026 21:36:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-skeleton-found-beneath-the-floor-of-a-dutch-church-may-belong-to-dartagnan-the-fourth-musketeer-180988448/Typos Have Plagued Us for Centuries. Just Ask the Publishers Who Printed the Seventh Commandment as 'Thou Shalt Commit Adultery' in 1631https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/typos-have-plagued-us-for-centuries-just-ask-the-publishers-who-printed-the-seventh-commandment-as-thou-shalt-commit-adultery-in-1631-180988353/A new exhibition at Yale Library explores the history of typos across five centuries. Visitors will see corrections that were listed inside copies of works by James Joyce, Upton Sinclair and Nicolaus CopernicusMon, 16 Mar 2026 14:09:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/typos-have-plagued-us-for-centuries-just-ask-the-publishers-who-printed-the-seventh-commandment-as-thou-shalt-commit-adultery-in-1631-180988353/In 'Bride of Frankenstein,' the Monster's Wife Never Speaks. Now, Maggie Gyllenhaal's 'The Bride!' Gives the Iconic Character a Voicehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/in-bride-of-frankenstein-the-monsters-wife-never-speaks-now-maggie-gyllenhaals-the-bride-gives-the-iconic-character-a-voice-180988257/Directed by James Whale, the 1935 movie and its prequel, a 1931 adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic novel, laid the groundwork for the modern horror genreTue, 03 Mar 2026 12:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/in-bride-of-frankenstein-the-monsters-wife-never-speaks-now-maggie-gyllenhaals-the-bride-gives-the-iconic-character-a-voice-180988257/Five Things to Know About 'Wuthering Heights,' Author Emily Brontë's Only Novelhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/five-things-to-know-about-wuthering-heights-author-emily-brontes-only-novel-180988196/The famed 1847 book inspired numerous adaptations, including a new version directed by Emerald Fennell in theaters this weekFri, 13 Feb 2026 19:16:50 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/five-things-to-know-about-wuthering-heights-author-emily-brontes-only-novel-180988196/Have We Reached the Final Days of the Mass-Market Paperback?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/have-we-reached-the-final-days-of-the-mass-market-paperback-180988139/One of the largest paperback distributors has decided to stop supporting the format, which has been making reading accessible to the masses since the 1930sWed, 11 Feb 2026 18:42:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/have-we-reached-the-final-days-of-the-mass-market-paperback-180988139/You Can Stay in Catherine Earnshaw's Bright Pink Bedroom, Straight Out of the New 'Wuthering Heights' Moviehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-stay-in-catherine-earnshaws-bright-pink-bedroom-straight-out-of-the-new-wuthering-heights-movie-180988168/Airbnb is offering free three-night stays in the bedroom to three couples, who will also get lavish meals and a tour of England's moors on horsebackTue, 10 Feb 2026 21:37:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-stay-in-catherine-earnshaws-bright-pink-bedroom-straight-out-of-the-new-wuthering-heights-movie-180988168/Meet 13 People Who Survived on Deserted Islands, From a Real-Life Robinson Crusoe to a Noblewoman Marooned With Her Loverhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/meet-13-people-who-survived-on-deserted-islands-from-a-real-life-robinson-crusoe-to-a-noblewoman-marooned-with-her-lover-180988028/Ahead of the release of Sam Raimi's "Send Help," revisit the stories of Alexander Selkirk, Marguerite de la Rocque, the Tongan castaways and others who endured in remote localesThu, 22 Jan 2026 12:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/meet-13-people-who-survived-on-deserted-islands-from-a-real-life-robinson-crusoe-to-a-noblewoman-marooned-with-her-lover-180988028/Oscar Wilde's Portraits, Poems, Letters and Manuscripts Head to Auction 125 Years After His Deathhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/oscar-wildes-portraits-poems-letters-and-manuscripts-head-to-auction-125-years-after-his-death-180988023/Other rare items, available for purchase in February, include illustrations, theater programs, telegrams and newspapersTue, 20 Jan 2026 21:54:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/oscar-wildes-portraits-poems-letters-and-manuscripts-head-to-auction-125-years-after-his-death-180988023/Lewis Carroll's Personal Copy of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' Returns to Its 'Spiritual Home' in Oxfordhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lewis-carrolls-personal-copy-of-alices-adventures-in-wonderland-returns-to-its-spiritual-home-in-oxford-180987910/The book has been donated jointly to Christ Church and the Bodleian Library, which are both part of the University of OxfordWed, 31 Dec 2025 16:52:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lewis-carrolls-personal-copy-of-alices-adventures-in-wonderland-returns-to-its-spiritual-home-in-oxford-180987910/