The 18th century was a period of profound literary innovation in England and other English-speaking lands and time of genuine cultural transformation. In fact, much of what we consider to be “modern” literature actually emerged in this period in one form or another, at least in a primordial sense. Coming out of the Enlightenment, this…
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Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson, two of the most influential female writers in literature, continue to comment on the man's world of today more than 200 years later. While they didn’t cross paths in their lifetimes (Dickinson was born 13 years after Austen’s death), they led strikingly similar lives. Both were the second daughters of well-respected…
Read More "19th Century Patriarchy-Defying Prose and Poems: Works of Austen and Dickinson"
Today, we honor Jane Austen's death. As one of the greatest English novelists, her works live on and continue to be some of the most influential literary works in history. They were not, however, always looked at as such. Originally, scholars of English literature did not recognize the value of her work, and it wasn't until the…
The media shows us two reactions to this little, commercial holiday: 1) the lovey-dovey people feeding each other heart-shaped chocolates into their perfect, air-brushed mouths, and 2) single, bitter people, doubling down on the BOGO chocolate at the local grocery store. Many of us, however, do not adhere to that binary system and enjoy reading love stories,…
This month we are excited to partner with Literati Club just in time for Valentine's Day. Enter to win this Pride and Prejudice infinity scarf and $50 in eNotes Homework Help credit! This scarf is a perfect gift for a certain special someone this February 14th–even if that special someone is yourself... On eNotes Homework Help, you can ask any question about…
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We love our moms, and they love us! But... more often than not in literature, we see somewhat, er, nontraditional relationships between mothers and their children. Some of these relationships are too good (or too bad?) not to comment on, so when we started brainstorming our Mother’s Day post, we kept coming back to the…
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As bibliophiles can attest, we are all intrigued by the private lives of our favorite authors, often wondering about the ways that they worked creatively, and especially where they chose to write. For many, the choice was obvious, their office or bedroom - a personal space for reflection and inspiration. At eNotes, we are really interested in embracing creativity and…
Read More "A Writer’s Haven: 5 Authors’ Writing Spaces Reimagined"
Here's a tip: keep some sheep leather and blue gauls handy... Yesterday we brought you the recipes to two authors' favorite meals, so today I give you the recipe to one authoress' writing success: a good leather bound book and a batch of homemade ink. For those Austen enthusiasts feeling particularly crafty, here is the…
