4 lessons for writers in The World According to Garp
John Irving’s novel, The World According to Garp, is about a writer. As such, it contains and reflects the reality of writing for a living.
The Stepford Wives nailed ‘feminist dystopia’ a decade before The Handmaid’s Tale
In The Stepford Wives, Ira Levin imagines a creepy, claustrophobic world in which women are man-made, and feminism doesn’t exist.
Books about not fitting in
Literature loves a misfit. Here are 8 books that explore themes of isolation and alienation.
Jaws: 10 ways the book is very different from the film
Peter Benchley’s novel Jaws is almost unrecognisable from Spielberg’s film.
The Handmaid’s Tale: fascism and feminism
Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale doesn’t just preach feminism – it inspects it, calls out its failings, and shows how gender politics keep us all in line.
Why Charlie & the Chocolate Factory is a warning for naughty children
Fairy tales have always been used to show what happens if you don’t behave yourself – and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is no different.