Okay, here’s a little experiment in word association. I’m going to say a word and you’re going to make some mental connections. Ready? Here goes: Victorian. Let me take a guess on what kind of mental connections you made. Sherlock Holmes. Charles Dickens. Gas lamps. Debtors prison. Jack the Ripper. Child labor. Sexual repression. Prudery. ...
Perhaps no other character in Shakespeare’s plays has received as much debate over the centuries than has Shylock, the Jewish money-lender in “The Merchant of Venice.” Shakespeare himself has often been accused of being anti-Semitic because of Shylock’s portrayal as someone demanding that “pound of flesh.” The fact of the matter is, however, that if ...
At stores, you may notice something strange on Sesame Street DVDs and videos. “Sesame Street: Old School” is a collection of early Sesame Street episodes dating back to 1969. The first two volumes, however, come with something very unexpected: A label that warns some content may be inappropriate for younger viewers and instead should be ...
Jane Austen lovers are in for a treat this winter. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the venerable Masterpiece series on PBS presents a major television event: The Complete Jane Austen. This much anticipated event consists of all six Jane Austen novels, plus Miss Austen Regrets, a dramatization of Austen’s own life and loves. Fans ...
Your wedding day is likely to be one of the most important and memorable days of your life. A lot of stock is placed on the wedding reception, but what about the ceremony? There are many traditional, and to be honest, quite boring parts of the wedding ceremony that could easily be spruced up to ...