The History and Mythology of the Unicorn
At BBC Radio 4, Melvyn Bragg discusses the history of the unicorn.
“The Lady Hero’s Journey”
Kathleen O’Mara charts “The Lady Hero’s Journey” at McSweeney’s. “A woman tries to set out on The Hero’s Journey only to find that Joseph Campbell didn’t believe that women take The Hero’s Journey. She must instead embark on The Lady Hero’s Journey.”
“Don’t Let A Wolf See You First”
Sententiae Antiquae writes about lycanthropy and Pliny the Elder. “But it Italy they also believe that the gaze of a wolf is harmful—specifically that it will take the voice from any man they see first. Africa and Egypt have wolves that are slow and small, while the colder climates […]
Anything Can Happen In Riverdale
I never expected to be reading Archie comics. Archie Andrews’ irresistible appeal to ladies mystified me and I came late to an appreciation for soap operas and straight melodrama. Then there was residual stuff around romance, a punk rock hostility towards the wholesome squares, a dash of internalized […]
“Beauty Is The Beast”
At Bookview Cafe, Sherwood Smith reviews Rosmund Hodge’s Cruel Beauty and goes on to discuss the history and the many variations on the story of “The Beauty and the Beast.” “At my age, I find that the more interesting versions of the tale are not just about heroine […]
Summer Fun Time Reading ’13
It’s hot and the air already feels like unset Jell-O, but you still have some time to prepare for summer, because all the list-happy magazines and websites tell me, summer must be prepared for. Dig out your seersucker suit! Bob your hair! Find that most fashionable bathing suit–might […]
The Cultural Gutter 