Literature

Literary criticism & book chat.

Blank mannequin head without eyes

The Stepford Wives and feminist dystopia

The Stepford Wives imagines a world in which women are man-made, and feminism doesn’t exist

A hooded figure walking alone in a foggy forest.

Misfits in literature: books about not fitting in

Literature loves a misfit. Here are nine books about characters on the edge

Jaws: 10 ways the book is very different from the film

What Spielberg removed when adapting Jaws for the big screen – for the better

Red and white symbols mimic an eye, a pyramid and a circle

4 ways of reading The Handmaid’s Tale

From fascism to feminism, teasing out themes in The Handmaid’s Tale

Close-up of teeth with braces chomping on a jelly sweet.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s warnings for naughty children

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory isn’t quite so sweet after all …

Brown leather retro driver's seat with deep shadows from bright sunlight

Whose line is it anyway? Muriel Spark’s The Driver’s Seat explained

The Driver’s Seat and the ‘second narrative’ theory