In ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’, Snape reminds us of Dr Frankenstein through his blending of science, art and ethics.
Dryer Sheet Style Guide for the Natty Young Gentleman
Every style-conscious young gentleman should learn the proper employment of a dryer sheet.
Context and the Rhetorical Situation
Effective arguing is lost on most these days, but with an understanding of Lloyd Bitzer’s “Rhetorical Situation” you don’t have to be one of them.
How to Write Better Arguments (Using the Toulmin Model)
Effective arguing is lost on most people, but you don’t have to be one of them. Our friend Stephen Toulmin has a model to help us craft better arguments.
Chaucer, Birds, Bees and St Valentine’s Day
Ever wonder who St Valentine was and why Chaucer keeps inventing all these damn holidays? It has a little something to do with the birds and bees.
‘Poetry Begins to Atrophy When It Gets too Far from Music’
When Ezra Pound said ‘poetry begins to atrophy when it gets too far from music’, the father of modernism introduced a very traditionalist idea.
‘Anglish’ and the Pursuit of Linguistic Purism
In 1066 the Norman Conquest changed the English language forever. Since then linguists have battled between Latin and Saxon, English and Anglish.
Snow White, Johnny Appleseed and the Fall Equinox
What do Snow White, Johnny Appleseed and HW Fowler have to do with the Autumn Equinox (or ‘Fall’ Equinox as Fowler would prefer it)?
Beautiful Books: How I Met the Boy Who Lived
On my 11th birthday, I began a twofold obsession: an obsession with Harry Potter and an even more treacherous obsession with books.
Absinthe and the Legend of la Fée Verte
Who was the green fairy, what is thujone, and how were the artists of La Belle Epoque captivated by that poison called wormwood and elixir called absinthe?