Fiction

The Science of the Red Sea's Parting

It is physically and scientifically possible for a body of water to part

From left: Princess Tiger Lily, Indian Chief and Peter Pan as depicted in the 1953 film.

The Racist History of Peter Pan's Indian Tribe

Even in the early 20th century, though, critics saw Tiger Lily and her fellow "Picaninnies" as caricatures

The protagonist, Tris (Shailene Woodley), and her friend Christina (Zoë Kravitz) jump from a train running through post-apocalyptic Chicago in a scene from the film Divergent.

We Asked Four Teenagers to Explain "Divergent" to Old People

The first movie in the dystopian young adult book trilogy comes out this weekend. Get ready

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Cookie Monster’s First Name Is Sid, And Other Icon’s “Real” Names

Many fictional characters have full names, even if you never hear them

Superhero origin stories help us cope with adversity.

The Psychology Behind Superhero Origin Stories

How does following the adventures of Spider-Man and Batman inspire us to cope with adversity?

It was at the La Comédie-Française where Hugo brought his controversial new play, “Hernani,” that became a spark plug for Paris’s greater societal and political tensions

Take a Tour of Victor Hugo's Paris

As a film version of his Les Miserables hits theaters, consider traveling in the French writer’s footsteps

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Ten Famed Literary Figures Based on Real-Life People

Who were the sources for characters such as Robinson Crusoe or Dorian Gray?

Dickens World, a theme park in Chatham, offers an 1800s immersion. The novelist, says the attraction's Kevin Christie, "was a showman. He would have loved this."

Going Mad for Charles Dickens

Two centuries after his birth, the novelist is still wildly popular, as a theme park, a new movie and countless festivals attest

Though admired for his essays, his fiction and revisions of William Strunk's Elements of Style, it is Charlotte's Web that keeps his name before the public, generation after generation.

How E.B. White Wove Charlotte’s Web

A new book explores how the author of the beloved children’s book was inspired by his love for nature and animals

Christie purchased Greenway in 1938. Years later, she recalled the spell that the estate had cast on her: "a white Georgian house of about 1780 or '90, with woods sweeping down to the Dart...the ideal house, a dream house."

Where Agatha Christie Dreamed Up Murder

The birthplace of Poirot and Marple welcomes visitors looking for clues to the best-selling novelist of all time

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Agatha Christie on the Big and Small Screen

Even though Dame Agatha may not have enjoyed adaptations of her mysteries, audiences have been loving them for decades

Cleveland is slowly beginning to recognize its role in creating the superhero who stood for "Truth, Justice, and the American Way."

Cleveland, the True Birthplace of Superman

Comic book fans and city activists hope that people think of the Ohio city, and not Krypton, as the home of the Man of Steel

The city, in all its brooding grandeur, takes center stage in stories featuring the master of deduction.

Sherlock Holmes' London

As the detective stalks movie theaters, our reporter tracks down the favorite haunts of Arthur Conan Doyle and his famous sleuth

Daniel Alarcón established his literary reputation with the publication this year of his widely praised novel, Lost City Radio. Irish writer Colm Toibin described it as “gripping and tense…with echoes of Orwell and Huxley.”

Crossing the Divide

Novelist Daniel Alarcón's writings evoke the gritty, compelling landscape of urban Latin America

Kerouac (with the author in Greenwich Village in 1957) was as unprepared as anyone else for his novel's surprise impact.

Remembering Jack Kerouac

A friend of the author of "On the Road," published 50 years ago this month, tells why the novel still matters

Table of Contents from the First Folio

Folio, Where Art Thou?

One man's quest to track down every copy on the planet

After months at sea, Selkirk's ship put in at the island (named Robinson Crusoe Island in 1966) with a leaky hull and restive crew. But an extended stay didn't quell Selkirk's misgivings.

The Real Robinson Crusoe

He was a pirate, a hothead and a lout, but castaway Alexander Selkirk—the author's ancestor inspired one of the greatest yarns in literature

George Frideric Handel by Balthasar Denner

Fatal Triangle

How a dark tale of love, madness and murder in 18th-century London became a story for the ages

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Prescient and Accounted For

A century after his death, novelist Jules Verne, who imagined Moon flight and deep-sea voyages, looks more prophetic than ever

Mark Twain (in 1906) "simply never, never goes stale," says editor Harriet Smith. If all goes well, annotating Twain's letters should be completed by 2021.

Keeping Up with Mark Twain

Berkeley researchers toil to stay abreast of Samuel Clemens' enormous literary output, which appears to continue unabated

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