November 30, 2015

In Defense of Makeup

November 30, 2015/ Jane Shmidt

Lisa Eldridge, in her new book Face Paint, traces the long and surprisingly volatile history of makeup. Jane Shmidt reviews.

July 31, 2015

“A Reputable Outlaw”

July 31, 2015/ Jane Shmidt

Was the duel at twenty paces a cancer on civil society or a gesture of defiance and an expression of individuality? Touche: The Duel in Literature looks to provide the reader satisfaction on that question.

May 31, 2015

The Pangs

May 31, 2015/ Jane Shmidt

The ecstasy and anguish of falling in love have been the stuff of poetry for thousands of years - but do they boil down to the workings of serotonin, dopamine, and adrenaline? Jane Schmidt reviews a new look at romantic love.

February 28, 2014

A Place Out of a Story Book

February 28, 2014/ Jane Shmidt

A close reading of Elisabeth de Waal's The Exiles Return reminds us that the dream of every returning exile is to savor not only a lost land but a lost time.