Sally Rooney, Censorship, and the Purpose of True Art
Should art go beyond politics?An older perspective on the arts offers a respite to those who might be starved for something that outlasts the controversies of the age.
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Longform Nonfiction in Decline?
We still need to read long books about complicated topicsPerhaps it isn’t coincidental that this kind of longform writing is having trouble at the same time that the online news cycle gets ever more ephemeral.
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Crucial Links to the Eyes, Bones, and Mind
The eye is the most fascinating organ in the human body.In literature, one of the most famous books of the 20th century and beyond focuses on vision: 1984, with Big Brother always watching you.
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What Qualifies as a Book Ban?
If a novel has sold millions of copies and can be easily bought in almost any bookstore, how is it "banned"?Many people on social media pushed back against the claim that Atwood’s famous, bestselling book has in any way been “banned.”
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On the State of Men and Reading
Valuable advice to students: Learn how to read deeplyReading great books might not immediately come to mind, but according to professor Shilo Brooks, it just might be a part of the answer.
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The Enduring Relevance of The Brothers Karamazov
Dostoevsky opposed materialism and pointed readers to beauty and mysteryThe book may not present neat answers to our problems, but it presents a vital picture of what it looks like to cherish life and hold onto to the inherent value of human life.
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Declining Literacy Rates and What Happens Next
Are we being alarmist or is literacy really on a lifeline?Whatever one’s opinions regarding solutions for declining literacy rates, people can always start to brew change in their own lives and communities.
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In a Materialistic Universe, Literature Doesn’t Make Sense
Language itself is theological. It’s an ascentIf materialism is false, if there is at least something at work beyond the material realm, then stories just got interesting again.
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Chicago Sun-Times Used AI to Create Fake Summer Book List
The blind trust in AI continuesHumans write the only books worth reading, and, as we’ve now seen, they’re still the only ones who can come up with an actual list of readable books.
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Dean Koontz on Writing and the Mystery of Life
Koontz believes every writer must have a metaphysicA nihilist who believes there is no ultimate purpose or meaning to life can only ever write one book, according to Koontz.
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Are We Experiencing a Universal Cognitive Decline?
People are increasingly having trouble reading, focusing, and solving complex problems.A new study shows that people are struggling more than ever to read, concentrate, and solve problems. The research comes just a few months after Oxford’s indicative decision to make “Brain Rot” its 2024 “Word of the Year.” Common experience itself lends itself to the conclusion that we are struggling to focus, that our attention is fragmented, and that simply thinking about one issue for more than a few seconds is difficult. The Financial Times reported that intelligence and reasoning capacities have declined since the early 2010s. While the COVID-19 pandemic is commonly blamed for the plummet and is indeed responsible for much of the cognitive decline, the downward trend preceded the crisis according to the study. John Burn-Murdoch reports: Read More ›
Re-enchanting the Secular West
More writers and intellectuals recognize the need for right-brain thinkingWhile there might not be a culture-wide renewal of faith yet, some significant voices are heralding a new way forward.
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In a Changing Media Landscape, Keep the Novel
Novels are unique in their capacity to shed insight into the complexity of our world and human natureThe novel is one of those traditional mediums that struggles in our screen-heavy society.
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What’s Happening to Literature?
Why aren't students reading anything anymore?Consider the great literary tradition, which still calls out with its timeless voice, reminding us that it’s still there for the taking for those who eyes to see and ears to hear.
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The Rings of Power Continues to Disappoint
This isn't Tolkien's worldThe Rings of Power, the most expensive cinematic product ever concocted, continues to see a drop in viewership.
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Antidote to Screen Addiction? A Good Book
Sitting and reading in silence is a pleasure the modern world has forgottenWe should let ourselves take pleasure in story first before jumping back on our phones to make comments on Booktok or Goodreads.
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The Return of the Rings
Time to revisit Middle-earthAugust has been a big month for Tolkien fans. Season 2 of Amazon’s The Rings of Power is slated to premiere on Thursday, August 29th, two years after the first season (with its billion-dollar budget) dropped and garnered mixed reviews. You can read my own two cents on The Rings of Power here and here. The question a lots of Tolkien fans are probably asking now is whether the show can recover from a slow start, some poor character development and cliche dialogue, and some basic plot issues that made many of us wish more time was invested on the story than the stratospheric budget. We’ll see. Here’s the trailer for Season 2: The Rings of Power isn’t the only Read More ›
Japanese Novelist Who Won Prestigious Literary Award Unabashedly Used ChatGPT
Meanwhile, authors in the United States are waging war against AI for copyright violationWhile stylistically, the prose AI “created” for Karan’s novel might be “flawless,” it lacks credibility because it lacks the human voice.
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Reading in the Digital Age
Writer Joseph Epstein argues compellingly on behalf of the novel.Reading isn’t instantly gratifying the way these dopamine-inducing technologies are, but the rewards are worth it.
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Ancient Greek Philosophy and Modern Blockbuster Graphics
The amazing computer-generated effects you see in almost every blockbuster today are only possible thanks to ideas proposed over 2300 years ago.Ancient philosophy can be extremely useful, and entertaining, even when contrary to modern science! See it in the movies!
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