http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner en-us Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:37:39 -0700 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:24:47 -0700 BlogCFC http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m11d19-How-the-vampire-got-sexy-the-seductive-undead-from-Lord-Byron-to-Edward-Cullen?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner With the opening of the movie version of Stephenie Meyer’s New Moon – an event which seems to have rendered much of the world demented with anticipation, and caused the rest to roll their eyes at the spectacle – now is a good time t... Vampires & Wizards Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:24:47 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m11d19-How-the-vampire-got-sexy-the-seductive-undead-from-Lord-Byron-to-Edward-Cullen?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m11d14-What-to-Read-The-Time-Travelers-Wife-by-Audrey-Niffenegger?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner The measure of truth in literature is not whether the story is plausible. After all, many great books – The Iliad, Dante’s Inferno, Hamlet – contain fantastic elements. The measure of truth in literature is whether the characters be... What to Read: Reviews Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:41:14 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m11d14-What-to-Read-The-Time-Travelers-Wife-by-Audrey-Niffenegger?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m10d31-What-to-read-the-Sookie-Stackhouse-vampire-novels-by-Charlaine-Harris?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner If the perfect night-table book (1) offers a likeable heroine (2) tells stories about problems you don’t have, (3) is smart but not taxing, and (4) contains enough sex to make up for the fact you’re too tired to have it yourself – t... What to Read: Reviews Vampires & Wizards Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:55:27 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m10d31-What-to-read-the-Sookie-Stackhouse-vampire-novels-by-Charlaine-Harris?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m10d24-Dracula-of-Film-the-Bela-Lugosi-and-Gary-Oldman-versions-of-Bram-Stokers-novel?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner Filmmakers generally take liberties with novels when they turn them into movies. And they should. What director wants to make a movie that is simply a faithful adaptation of someone else’s work? At the same time, it comes as no surprise –... Literature on Film Vampires & Wizards Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:56:56 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m10d24-Dracula-of-Film-the-Bela-Lugosi-and-Gary-Oldman-versions-of-Bram-Stokers-novel?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m10d18-What-to-read-8-creepy-book-suggestions-for-Halloween?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner As Halloween approaches, now is the time for a good, disturbing read. So the Philly Lit Examiner herewith presents his personal list of favorite “creepy” works of literature with brief commentaries. In no particular order, they are&hellip... What to Read: Reviews Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:38:24 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m10d18-What-to-read-8-creepy-book-suggestions-for-Halloween?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m10d12-What-to-read-My-Mothers-House-by-Colette?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner In My Mother’s House, the French author Colette has pulled off one of the most difficult tricks in literature: she’s written a compelling memoir without having a compelling story to tell.Colette offers her readers no major events in My Mo... What to Read: Reviews Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:33:15 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m10d12-What-to-read-My-Mothers-House-by-Colette?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m10d9-Take-this-winners-of-the-Nobel-Prize-in-Literature-quiz?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner When Herta Müller of Germany was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature this week, millions of reasonably well-read people around the world (including the author of this column) asked themselves the following question. “Who?”So as a p... Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:52:47 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m10d9-Take-this-winners-of-the-Nobel-Prize-in-Literature-quiz?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m9d18-The-9-best-movie-versions-of-Hamlet?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner There are a wealth of Hamlets on film. Here are the Philly Lit Examiner’s personal rankings. Follow the links to compare performances of the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy!1. Kenneth Branagh. Branagh’s performance swings wild... Literature on Film Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:38:43 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m9d18-The-9-best-movie-versions-of-Hamlet?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m9d16-Have-the-feckless-youth-of-today-killed-literature?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner Literature is a desiccated corpse and it is today’s giddy, shallow, wild, and reckless youth that have killed it. It was barely breathing when they popped up. Movies and television had bludgeoned literature to the point of extinction well befor... Cheeky Commentary Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:46:40 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m9d16-Have-the-feckless-youth-of-today-killed-literature?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m9d13-The-uses-of-literature-critique-of-thought-systems-and-ideologies-part-5-of-5?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner Previous columns in this series discussed how great books are useful because they offer pleasure, relieve loneliness, and strengthen empathy. For the last column in this series, I will discuss literature’s most important use: its critique of th... Brainy Commentary Sun, 13 Sep 2009 12:11:23 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m9d13-The-uses-of-literature-critique-of-thought-systems-and-ideologies-part-5-of-5?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m9d10-The-uses-of-literature-strengthening-the-empathetic-imagination-part-4-of-5?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner Previous columns on the uses of literature discussed how great books are valuable because they offer pleasure and relieve loneliness. This column examines the value literature offers by strengthening the empathetic imagination of its readers.Most peo... Brainy Commentary Thu, 10 Sep 2009 05:43:57 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m9d10-The-uses-of-literature-strengthening-the-empathetic-imagination-part-4-of-5?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m9d7-The-uses-of-literature-the-relief-of-loneliness-part-3-of-5?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner People must find value in literature to justify the resources they spend creating, reading, and studying it. In a recent column, I discussed how pleasure is one of the uses of literature that we find valuable. The relief of loneliness is another va... Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:04:15 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m9d7-The-uses-of-literature-the-relief-of-loneliness-part-3-of-5?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m9d2-When-vampires-were-demons-not-dreamboats-Dracula-in-the-novel-by-Bram-Stoker?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner In an era when Bella Swan goes all swoony for the 100-year-old bloodsucker-with-scruples Edward Cullen, and Sookie Stackhouse has her pick of delectable undead lovers, it may be hard to believe that there was a time when vampires were actually monste... Vampires & Wizards Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:29:46 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m9d2-When-vampires-were-demons-not-dreamboats-Dracula-in-the-novel-by-Bram-Stoker?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m8d30-The-uses-of-literature-pleasure-part-2-of-5?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner In my first column on the uses of literature, I discussed how the value of literature is usually justified by high-minded platitudes or through its role teaching important lessons. I didn’t find either of these reasons satisfactory, however, be... Brainy Commentary Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:01:59 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m8d30-The-uses-of-literature-pleasure-part-2-of-5?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m8d17-Literature-101-Philadelphias-father-of-the-cowboy-novel-Owen-Wister?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner Philadelphia’s Owen Wister (1860 – 1938) is the author of The Virginian, a seminal best-selling novel that established many of the themes and conventions of the Western genre in fiction.Wister’s 1902 novel tells the story of a noble... Philadelphia in Literature Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:33:49 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m8d17-Literature-101-Philadelphias-father-of-the-cowboy-novel-Owen-Wister?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m8d16-The-uses-of-literature-introduction-part-1-of-5?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner Societies invest heavily in literature, and other arts, but it’s not obvious what value literature offers in return for this investment.It is easier to establish the usefulness of fields such as science, medicine, engineering, business, economi... Vampires & Wizards Brainy Commentary Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:56:40 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m8d16-The-uses-of-literature-introduction-part-1-of-5?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m8d12-Literature-101-Charles-Brockden-Brown-Americas-first-pulp-fiction-writer?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner Philadelphia’s Charles Brockden Brown (1771 – 1810), generally regarded as America’s first professional writer, is virtually unknown to readers today.This obscurity is a minor injustice since Brown was the author of popular and infl... Philadelphia in Literature Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:40:25 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m8d12-Literature-101-Charles-Brockden-Brown-Americas-first-pulp-fiction-writer?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m8d5-Is-Stephenie-Meyers-Twilight-novel-literature?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner The short answer to this question is “No”.That’s not because Meyer’s book is popular, or financially successful, or because the main purpose of Twilight is to entertain the reader. Many popular, successful books – such a... Vampires & Wizards Wed, 05 Aug 2009 06:15:02 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m8d5-Is-Stephenie-Meyers-Twilight-novel-literature?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m7d31-The-criticism-of-dictatorships-in-the-writings-of-Vladimir-Nabokov?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner If Vladimir Nabokov were alive today, and read that headline, he might well declare it was silly and stupid and wrong (although he would say it with a great deal more humor and fluency).Nabokov insisted that there were no “messages” in hi... Brainy Commentary Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:46:42 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m7d31-The-criticism-of-dictatorships-in-the-writings-of-Vladimir-Nabokov?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m7d15-Literature-101-How-many-major-Philadelphia-writers-are-there?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner Writers become associated with a place when they are significantly identified with that place and/or have drawn significant inspiration from it.Using this criteria, the only major writer who qualifies as a “Philadelphia” writer is Benjami... Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:14:24 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-10759-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner~y2009m7d15-Literature-101-How-many-major-Philadelphia-writers-are-there?cid=exrss-Philadelphia-Literature-Examiner