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That motivational Henry David Thoreau quote might actually be a dupe. From "go confidently in the direction of your dreams" to "happiness is like a butterfly," these lines were never said by Thoreau at all.
Authors
Discover the rigid, eccentric daily routine of literary icon Joan Didion, from her morning beverage to her strict 5:00 PM workflow boundary.
There's one movie that, according to the king of horror, is the worst of all time.
These literary legends never lived to see their books become global sensations.
A blend of personal trauma and real-world tragedy created the conditions for William Golding's famously pessimistic novel to emerge.
Historians say the newly discovered location changes what we know about Shakespeare’s final years.
World Book Day is April 23, the day William Shakespeare and a number of other famous authors died. Learn more about the history and origins of this literary celebration here.
From mistaken identity and dramatic irony to supernatural forces and tragic heroes, discover five defining Shakespearean tropes that still shape storytelling today.
The poet Lord Byron lived a memorable life that included multiple illegitimate children, pet bears, and scandalous memoirs that were never read.
The beloved classic emerged from a devastating real-life tragedy in Anne Rice's life.
From Stephen King and Agatha Christie to Freida McFadden and Anne Rice, these authors all used different names for one reason or another.
Celebrate Women’s History Month by adding these influential sci-fi authors to your TBR, from Mary Shelley to Suzanne Collins and more.
From Euripides' Medea and Charlotte Brontë's "madwoman in the attic" to more modern reclamations, portrayals of madwomen in literature have come a long way.
The beauty and unpredictability of March has inspired some of the most memorable lines in literature.
From 'The Handmaid's Tale' by Margaret Atwood to 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins, these books are frequently the subject of bans and controversy.
Test your knowledge of literature and its most famous heroines with this quiz.
These are the movies to watch if you want to know about the author behind classics like 'Pride and Prejudice.'
Do you know which Jane Austen books these lines are from?
From Agatha Christie to Franz Kafka, these authors disliked their most popular books, stories, and characters.
Believe it or not, these romantic customs were commonly observed in Elizabethan England during the time when Shakespeare wrote his plays and poetry.
The latest adaptation takes major liberties, but how bad are they really? We discuss the biggest changes in the 2026 ‘Wuthering Heights’ compared to Emily Brontë’s classic novel.
More From the Literature Section
From 'flutterbudget' to 'sadiron', we’re decoding eight words from the new "Little House on the Prairie" series that have vanished from modern English.
The beloved book series—now adapted again for Netflix—tackles the real history of the “Hard Winter.”
Nursery rhymes tend to be about dark subject matter if you look closely. “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush” is an exception, with perfectly innocent lyrics—despite a very troubling theorized origin.
The first World Cup tournament took place in 1930, a year that also introduced the world to major works of literature and scholarship.
Jane Austen died suddenly at age 41, but what actually killed her? Explore the four most compelling—and unsettling—theories surrounding her final days.
Monroe called one of these books a "pattern for everyday living." Read more about the books Marilyn Monroe loved.
Marilyn Monroe was an avid reader who read Proust, Walt Whitman, and more. Explore all the titles in her personal collection here.
We all know ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Snow White,’ but can you tell if these 20 Grimm fairy tale summaries are real or made up?