Literature and Poetry
Terror and Wonder: Exploring Gothic culture's roots in British literature
Highlights of the exhibition include a vampire slaying kit and 18th and 19th century Gothic fashions, as well as one of Alexander McQueen's catwalk creations. Also on display is a model of the Wallace and Gromit Were-Rabbit, showing how Gothic literature has inspired varied and colourful aspects of popular culture in exciting ways over centuries. more »
A Slightly Malicious Poetry Puzzle Perhaps Intended to Confuse and Mystify
Joan L. Cannon writes: Most people read poetry (if they read it at all) for the pleasure of it. I get very irritable when the author makes that impossible on purpose — very much like the 'modern' artists and composers who seem not to care a whit if their production is pure fraud. Of course, they get a way with it a lot because no one can figure out how to prove it's bogus. more »
Culture Watch. A The Art of Mystery Writing: What’s in a Series? The Latest Books of Andrea Camilleri, Linda Fairstein, Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling), Donna Leon and Louise Penny
Jill Norgren Reviews: Why do mystery writers create a series? Obviously, the pleasure of developing characters over time has appeal as well as the opportunity to explore varying issues within an established framework. Doting fans and good money also speak to the attractiveness of the genre. On the other side of the table sit the readers. What is the pull of a series for them, and does a series ever lose its allure? more »
Pets, Pleasures, a Black and White Great Dane and a Kleenex Cat
Joan L. Cannon writes: I’ll always be grateful that I married a man whose leaning towards the critters was as pronounced as mine. We had space in the country for the eleven cats, ten dogs, and three horses along with guinea pigs, canaries, and other livestock. Our oversized Manx cat always tried to fit into the oval opening of a new box of Kleenex. Of course, his name was Cassius (Clay), Mohammed Ali Cat. more »