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Understanding the History and Deeper Meaning in Verdi’s La Traviata
Verdi was not a Verismo composer; La Traviata is not a Verismo opera; but it is not a Bel Canto opera either. It is, in fact, a bridge between the two movements.
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Beatrice Cenci – In History, Literature, and Art
Beatrice Cenci was a real person. Violence, incest, political corruption, and death are all part of her story.
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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall – Catoptromancy or Mirrors in Divination
Catoptromancy - The Magic Mirror in Snow White, Bloody Mary, marital rituals, everything you have heard about in folklore.
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Does the Word “Okay” Belong in Period Dramas?
Okay is a modern slang word…or is it? This word may be a lot older than we all assume. Either way, does it at all belong in a period drama?
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Horror vs Terror, Defined in Plain Language
If you are a fan of scary stuff but are grossed out by gore, you have already experienced the difference between horror and terror.
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Emily Dickinson’s Letter to the World That Never Wrote to Her: Analysis of "Poem No. 441"
Emily Dickinson knew what it was like to be lonely. But even more so, she understood what it felt like to be an unappreciated artist.
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The Best Stories to Read Aloud on Halloween Night
Looking for some traditional fun on Halloween? Why not read aloud a scary story to your family and friends? Here's a list to help you get started.
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Literary Voices That Were Silenced by the Nazis
Anne Frank was not the only writer murdered by the Nazis. There were so many others who were both directly and indirectly destroyed during World War II. And this list will only continue to grow.
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Differences Between the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen: "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland" Reference
"Once Upon a Time in Wonderland" fans may be wondering why there is a Red Queen as well as a Queen of Hearts. Lewis Carroll actually created two ladies to terrorize Alice.
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Donizetti’s Anna Bolena: All Music and No History
Don't expect a history lesson from Donizetti's opera about the Anne Boleyn story. But who cares! The music is enough to cover everything.
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Emily Dickinson’s Civil War Tribute – Analysis of Poem No. 444
Emily Dickinson was touched by war. She knew, as her poem No. 444 says, that sometimes "It feels a shame to be alive/ When men so brave are dead"
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Name Origin: Victoria, the Angel Goddess
Victoria is much more of an ancient name than most people would think. It is the name of a goddess, a queen, several saints, and is associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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Gustav III and Verdi’s Masked Ball
Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera comes very close to being a historical document. With the exception of a little romantic license, it basically tells the story of a king's assassination.
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Elvis' "Can’t Help Falling in Love" and "Plaisir d’amour"
The history of one of Elvis' greatest love songs goes back much further than you'd think.
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Write your ideas down before you forget! – Analysis of Dickinson’s No. 245
Take Emily Dickinson's advice: write your ideas down before you forget them. This may have been the point behind her poem No. 245
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Before the Phantom – Literary Influences on Leroux’s Novel
Explore the various influences on The Phantom of the Opera. Edgar Allan Poe, George Sand, and Victor Hugo were all involved.
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Saving Your Online Content – Tips for Freelancers
Here's some advice for freelancers about saving your online content before, after, and during the writing process.
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St. Francis of Assisi and the Stigmata
Francis of Assisi is thought to have been the first person to receive the stigmata. But for some reason very few people know about this part of his life.
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Operas That Are Cursed
You've probably heard of the curse on Shakespeare's "Macbeth"; but have you ever heard of The Curse of Tristan? And "Tristan and Isolde" is not the only cursed opera!
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What is Vervain? - Vampire Diaries Reference
Vervain is the main anti-vampire weapon used in "The Vampire Diaries". Is there really such an herb or was it created as part of the story?
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Because I Could Not Stop for Death – The Fear of Dying, Analysis of Dickinson’s No. 712
Analysis of one of Dickinson's most famous works. Perhaps she was describing what it is like to lose the fear of death.
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In Search of Lake Nostos – Once Upon a Time Reference
Even though Once Upon a Time's Lake Nostos does not exist there are similarities to it in several legends, particularly in the legend regarding King Midas.
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James Thomson and His City of Dreadful Night
James Thomson's depression brought about a magnificent poem. Nobody else has captured the depths of human despair in even a similar way.
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Doctor TJ Eckleburg and The Great Gatsby Eyes
What's with those eyes in "The Great Gatsby"? Believe it or not they were not entirely the creation of F. Scott Fitzgerald.
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Common Quirks vs. OCD Obsessions
Not everyone who is "quirky" has obsessive-compulsive disorder. There is a big difference between being in the habit of doing something that is annoying or odd and doing something because of OCD.
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Taphophobia: The Fear of Being Buried Alive
Are you afraid of being buried alive? If you are, you're in good company. Pretty much everybody up through the last century worried about it too.
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Things You Don’t Know about Bizet’s “Carmen”
Did you know "Carmen" was initially a flop and that its composer was accused of plagiarism? These are just two things most people don't know about the world's most famous opera.
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Zsa Zsa Gabor and Her Nine Marriages
The third time wasn't the charm for Zsa Zsa Gabor: it took nine times before she apparently found true love. Only one of her nine marriages lasted for longer than six years.
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Together in Film: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
Do you know how many movies Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton appeared in together? Did you know all their movies together were made during what was probably their happiest period?
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Percy Byssche Shelley and the Victims of the Summer of 1816
A lot more than the creation of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" took place during the summer of 1816.
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“The Infernal Devices” – What Went Right and What Went Wrong
Oh, Cassandra Clare, what have you done? "The Infernal Devices" was so right...and then it went so wrong!
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Classical Music about the Moon
"Clair de Lune" and Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata are only two of the beautiful songs which pay homage to the moon.
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Classics about Scandalous Women
They loved not wisely but too well – and have haunted readers’ imaginations for decades.
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The Reason for the Papal Conclave
There is quite a history behind why the cardinals are locked away until a new pope is elected. The papal conclave exists for a very good reason.
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“Denn die Todten reiten schnell” – Its Meaning and Origin
This one line, included in "Dracula", immortalized Bürger's "Lenore" -- or perhaps "immortalized" is not the right word: "Lenore" and its author are as undead as the vampire himself!
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Unfinished Works - Classic Literature Quiz
Learn about the unfinished works of famous authors by taking this short quiz.
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Patron Saints of Cancer Patients
Here's an alphabetical list of patron saints for various types of cancer.
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Clytie and the Sunflowers
Did you ever wonder about the mention of sunflowers in the last verse of "Believe me, if all those endearing young charms"? This was taken from a Greek myth about a nymph named Clytie.
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Nosferatu the Vampyre vs Dracula
"Nosferatu" and "Dracula" - actually one and the same.
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C. Allan Gilbert’s “All Is Vanity”: The Ultimate Death Illustration
Have you ever seen anything as creepy as this picture . . . or as true? An analysis of C. Allan Gilbert's haunting painting, "All Is Vanity."
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Donizetti’s “Roberto Devereux” - 1837
"Roberto Devereux" is rarely performed and unjustly forgotten. You can't get much better than the dramatic punch of this work.
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5 Ways to Keep Your Makeup From Turning Orange
Makeup can easily turn orange, but there are a few things you can do to prevent this.
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Musicals that Have Won the Academy Award for Best Picture
Musicals have not won very many Academy Awards for Best Picture. But the few that have are some great films.
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1902 - “The Crystal Ball” by Waterhouse
What was Waterhouse trying to say with this painting? Is it simply a picture of a sorceress, or it is about hidden innocence?
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“La Belle Dame Sans Merci Thee Hath in Thrall” - Henry Meynell Rheam’s Painting
Here's a brief analysis of Rheam's "La Belle Dame sans Merci". This is the only illustration of John Keats' poem which shows the knight's dream.
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Analysis of John William Waterhouse’s “The Lady of Shalott” (1888)
Waterhouse's "The Lady of Shalott" is one of the most recognizable paintings in the world. You have to look closely, however, to see some amazing details.
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Farfetched Movie Versions of “The Phantom of the Opera”
This is more than the grumblings of a Phantom purist. Most movies simply took the idea of a man in a mask and ran with it.
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The Elephant of the Bastille
Wondering about that elephant in "Les Misérables"? It was put up by Napoleon and, like everything else he did, was overambitious and left half-finished.
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Music in Gaston Leroux’s “The Phantom of the Opera”
Forget Andrew Lloyd-Webber! In the novel, the music performed at the managers’ farewell gala alone provides enough material for the soundtrack of a horror movie – that is, of course, assuming someone will eventually make a Phantom movie that actually follows the original novel!
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Schubert’s “Ave Maria” – Lost in Translation
There is more to Schubert's "Ave Maria" than you would think. It was originally intended to be sung in German and is only loosely associated with the Catholic "Hail Mary".
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Portrait of Fantine in "Les Misérables"
Fantine did more than dare to "dream a dream": she was willing to die for it. She is more than a creation from Victor Hugo's imagination: she is a portrait from the age.
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Gothic Chills in Hoffmann’s “Nutcracker”
The nutcracker story is not all pirouettes and Sugar Plum Fairies. The original is a horror story written by a guy most people have never even heard of.