Posted on: 18 Sep 2025
When I asked ChatGPT why I should read The Catcher in the Rye, it said because the book portrays “adolescent alienation and identity.” ChatGPT also told me that the book is a “critique of society” and that it has some “symbolism.” Sadly, none of this is helpful if you actually want to engage with Salinger’s […]
Posted on: 01 Sep 2025
There are a lot of characters in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye (I counted almost sixty). It figures, as the main character, Holden, has attended three different preparatory schools (and made acquaintances at each). All the same, it can be difficult to remember which girl keeps her checker kings in a row (Jane […]
Posted on: 28 Jul 2025
A permanent fixture on countless “best-of-all-time” lists, J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye is a book about a teenager that’s actually for adults. I’m not claiming that you can’t appreciate Catcher as a teenager, but its description of childhood tragedy and mental illness hits different when you’ve got a bit of gray in your hair. […]
Posted on: 04 Jul 2025
This article will look at a few of the most important quotes from Beowulf. If you’ve read my summary of Beowulf, you know how the titular hero defeats Grendel, goes back to kill his (Grendel’s) mother, and then, 50 years later, dies killing a dragon. (Here’s a character list if you need a refresher.) That […]
Posted on: 18 Mar 2025
Vocabulary activities are super important in the classroom, whether in elementary, middle, or high school. Indeed, much has been made of the importance of children being exposed to a variety of words both at home and in school. As it turns out, a child’s vocabulary at 2 years old predicts his or her language and […]
Posted on: 27 Dec 2024
This article introduces every character in Beowulf. (Here’s a summary if you need it.) In some ways, given Beowulf’s status as ur-text in the English tradition, it’s puzzling why more people aren’t familiar with it. After all, it has dragons, swords, and copious bloodshed – everything that makes for a good fantasy story. (I would […]
Posted on: 02 Dec 2024
Active vs. Passive Voice – First off, “voice” is a bit of a misnomer. In the context of grammar, “voice” just indicates whether the grammatical subject performs the action or receives the action. This is less complicated than it sounds. Take the following examples: Zombies eat brains. (Active voice) Brains are eaten by zombies. (Passive […]
Posted on: 02 Dec 2024
When you think of fantasy, you probably think of elves, dwarves, and (natch) hobbits. I’m here to tell you that there’s more to fantasy than LOTR. Here’s 50 of the best fantasy books of all time. You’ll find subcategories for the Best Fantasy Book Series, the Best Fantasy Romance Books, the Best Dark Fantasy Books, […]