The Story Behind Winnie-the-Pooh

A.A. Milne, famed author of the Winnie-the-Pooh series, had a young son in the early 1920s named Christopher Robin, who loved to go to the London Zoo and watch an American black bear named Winnipeg, nicknamed “Winnie.” Milne gave Christopher Robin a stuffed teddy bear named Edward, whom he adored. He and his son would spend hours together in the woods making up adventure stories with his teddy bear and other stuffed animals.

Christopher Robin soon changed his teddy bear’s name from “Edward” to “Winnie,” after the beloved bear at the zoo. (He later added the nickname “Pooh” at the end, named after a swan he used to feed. He would shout “Pooh!” at it whenever it wouldn’t come over to him.)

 A.A. Milne was a successful essayist and playwright. He was so inspired by their adventures together in the woods that he began writing and publishing children’s poems about “Mr. Edward Bear,” soon re-named  “Winnie-the-Pooh.” He later began writing short stories about Winnie-the-Pooh and his stuffed animal friends in the Hundred Acre Woods. The book was first published as a collection of short stories on October 14th, 1926. 

It’s been a hit ever since. Its skyrocketing popularity has led to an endless bestselling list of Winnie-the-Pooh movies, TV shows, and countless Disney merchandise. He’s a household favorite!

Its Legacy

Winnie-the-Pooh has had a long-lasting impact on other children’s books that are just as relevant today as they were back then. My favorite part about what set Winnie-the-Pooh apart from other children’s books at the time is that it is for both children and adults.

Adults can relate to the character’s emotions in the stories, giving them insight into human behavior and how we interact with one another. It brings us back to our childhood, and we remember the significance of using our imagination and finding joy and a sense of magic in life’s simple pleasures. It also illustrates a sense of humor and reminds us not to take life too seriously.

Pooh also teaches us that we’re not as different from each other as it seems. We all came from the simple world of childhood where life wasn’t based on social status or income. Yet at the same time, Pooh wants us to celebrate our uniqueness and what makes each of us special.

Self-esteem is an area that many people struggle with, both children and adults. It’s so important to teach children at a very young age how to develop self-confidence, and in a way they can understand and relate to. The Winnie-the-Pooh series shows us just how to do that. Two of the characters struggle with their self-esteem at times; Piglet and Eeyore. This is where their good friend Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin are so helpful: they teach them that they are wonderful just the way they are.

Its Philosophy

Winnie-the-Pooh illustrates the philosophy that we don’t need to try to change or control situations or other people. The series has a very mindful quality in that Pooh’s life is about acceptance and simply letting things be. Pooh shows us how to be brave in life by making the best out of every situation, and to always be there for your friends to listen without judgment or expectations.

Best 10 Winnie-The-Pooh Quotes

The Winnie-the-Pooh series has so many inspirational and heartfelt quotes that it’s hard to pick just ten. I put all of the quotes I’ve chosen into different categories that I felt best depicted a special life lesson we can all learn from.

 Our Emotions

 “Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon.”

“It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine.” ~Eeeyore

 The Joy of Simplicity

 “It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like, ‘What about lunch?'”

 “Think it over, think it under.”

 Humor

“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.”

 Friendship

 “Any day spent with you is my favorite day.”

 Acceptance

 “Rivers know this: There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”

 “If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”

 Bravery

 “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” ~Christopher Robin

 Self-Confidence

 “The most wonderful thing about Tiggers is I’m the only one.” ~Tigger

On a Final Note…

I hope you enjoyed reading (or re-reading!) these great quotes by Winnie-the-Pooh and friends! We can all certainly use them to help brighten up our day.

The post Top 10 All-Time Favorite Winnie-the-Pooh Quotes: An Anniversary Celebration  appeared first on Magazine.

Act I: A Wilde Beginning

Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin to his father Sir William Wilde, a distinguished surgeon known for being colorful and a little scandalous, and his mother, known mostly by her pen name, Speranza. To say his parents played a part in making him the literary leading light we know him as today would be a bit of an understatement. Sir William Wilde was not only confident in his meticulous organization skills, but he also published material ranging from surgical texts to antiquarian topics.

Speranza, born Jane Elgee, began writing and contributing poems and articles to The Nation, after reading the poetry of Thomas Davis, co-founder of The Nation, at his funeral at just 19 years of age. In an interesting and somewhat eerie foreshadowing, 1864 proved an interesting year for the family.

Dr. Wilde earned his knighthood based on services he provided to the census, and in the same year, then Sir William was featured in a rather scandalous trial brought on by a former female patient, Mary Travers. Travers accused him of rape, then to further complicate the situation, Speranza wrote a defamatory letter about Travers. In the end, Travers appeared deranged and Sir William left the court with a damaged reputation.

Act II: Growing Up Oscar

From the beginning, Wilde’s world was both artistic and literary, surrounded by books, folklore, rhetoric, and compelling personalities. Wilde excelled throughout the course of his early education, earning him a scholarship to attend Trinity College in Dublin. From Trinity College, he ventured to Magdalen College in Oxford where he first gave creative writing a shot. His poetry became an instant hit, specifically his poem, “Ravenna” which won him the prestigious Newdigate Prize for the best English Verse composition.

In 1884 Oscar married Constance Lloyd and while professionally his career continued to grow, his personal life was rumored to be one of infidelity and scandal. By this time Wilde had already lectured throughout North America, ultimately returning to London where he worked as a reviewer.

Act III: Writing Wilde

After returning to London, Wilde was asked to take over an English magazine known as Lady’s World which was beginning to lose its popularity. Wilde accepted the challenge and chose to focus on fashion and various lifestyle aspects of women’s lives, successfully saving the publication. While working as an editor, Wilde was also producing some esteemed works that have since become popular classics.

In 1888, Wilde embarked on a new writing adventure – children’s literature releasing, The Happy Prince and Other Tales. Then, in 1890, Wilde published one of his most famous pieces, which would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, said to have been a reflection of Wilde himself.

Despite readers being shocked and frankly, offended, by his writing, he was still one of the most successful and well-known literary figures. In 1895, his play The Importance of Being Earnest became an instant hit, but the success was short-lived as Wilde found himself, or rather, his personal life, taking center stage. 

Act IV: Another Wilde on Trial

After only being married to his wife for 7 years, Wilde found himself in a love affair with young aristocrat and poet, Lord Alfred Douglas, more affectionately known as ‘Bosie’. Their affair was kept very quiet because at the time homosexuality was considered a crime. Unfortunately, once Douglas’’ father found out about the affair, he set out to ruin Wilde’s career.

In fact, Douglas’s father planned to disrupt Wilde’s play one evening by presenting him with a bouquet of rotting vegetables. Wilde, however, intervened and prevented him from entering the theatre which led to a spectacle that ended in Douglas’s father accusing and exposing Wilde of homosexuality. Outrage ensued and Wilde’s friends urged him to flee to France where homosexuality had been decriminalised in 1791. Instead, Wilde opted to take the argument to court and sued Douglas’s father for defamation, a court case that cost Wilde his career and a short stint in jail.

Accusations of Douglas’s father went nowhere with the court being more concerned with Wilde’s sexual orientation calling upon several witnesses who testified to seeing several young men entering Wilde’s bedroom. The trial ended with no verdict, then a few weeks later at the retrial, Wilde was convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to 2 years of hard labor. Wilde was released in 1897 and spent his remaining years in Paris, poor and a shell of his former self. Wilde passed away in 1900 at the age of 46. 

Act V: A Wilde Legacy

While Oscar Wilde saw and experienced his fair share of both tragedy and betrayal, it was through his words we got to experience humor, joy, and imagination. While late Victorians often considered him wrong, shocking, and offensive, today, we the readers know and understand that his reputation reaches far beyond literary achievement, as it is more than just his works alone that we continue to pay tribute to. But don’t just take our word for it: 

“I was a man who stood in symbolic relations to the art and culture of my age… Few men hold such a position in their own lifetime, and have it so acknowledged. It is usually discerned, if discerned at all, by the historian, or the critic, long after both the man and his age have passed away.

With me it was different. I felt it myself, and made others feel it…The gods had given me almost everything. I had genius, a distinguished name, high social position, brilliancy, intellectual daring; I made art a philosophy and philosophy an art; I altered the minds of men and the colors of things… to truth itself, I gave what is false no less than what is true as its rightful province, and showed that the false and the true are merely forms of intellectual existence. I treated art as the supreme reality and life as a mere mode of fiction.”

The post The Importance Of Being Unconventional: Oscar Wilde’s Literary Legacy appeared first on Magazine.

Just a Boy and His Typewriter

R.L. Stine, or Robert Lawrence Stine, a future graduate of Ohio State was born in Columbus, Ohio on October 8th, 1943. Little did his family know at the time, it would only be 9 short years before he would discover a dusty typewriter in the attic of his childhood home, a discovery that would completely change the course of his life.

“My friends and I all agreed that Columbus was really boring when we were kids,” Stine explains. “People always ask me, ‘Did you have a horrifying childhood? Is that why you write this stuff?’ But I had a very normal childhood.”

Instead of heading outside to play with his friends, as his mother begged him to do, Stine opted to stay indoors and start on his very first manuscripts, joke books. “You know, I always wanted my own humor magazine. This was my real ambition!” At school, Stine didn’t exactly prioritize academics or physical education for that matter, but he was able to debut a number of comedic bits. 

Fast forward to 1965, when Stine officially became a graduate of Ohio State. During his time there he devoted most of his energy to The Sundial, the school’s humor magazine. So much time in fact that he never really went to class. “My very first week at Ohio State, they had an open house at the Union. I went right into the Sundial office and tried to get on the staff immediately.

And that’s pretty much all I did in college! I didn’t care much for my classes, they were all pretty bad.” It took next to no time for Stine to make a name for himself, literally. Stine quickly became known as, “Jovial Bob”, producing dozens of humorous stories, editorials, and even plays for the publication under his new name. It wasn’t long before Stine earned the title of editor-in-chief for the magazine; a title which he held for 3 years until he eventually graduated.

“My proudest accomplishment [as Editor-in-Chief] was that we took a magazine that basically was failing, wasn’t selling many copies, wasn’t really doing well, and we turned it into something that would sell out every month. We had people out on the Oval in booths selling it, we’d sell it in dorms and in some of the stores on High Street… We turned it into something that people on campus really wanted to read every month.” After graduation, Stine took the money he’d earned as editor-in-chief and set out for the Big Apple. 

Look Alive: The Working Years 

Stine began his writing career at Scholastic where he wrote for school magazines, then returning to his roots, began to write joke books for kids, and even created Bananas magazine, a cooky, humorous magazine that he wrote and edited for 10 years under the name, you guessed it, Jovial Bob.

“I wanted to go to New York and become a writer, and I hoped to have my own humor magazine. And I did – I had my own humor magazine for ten years at Scholastic. It was called Bananas. That was my life’s dream! My own funny magazine. And when it ended, I thought I’d just coast for the rest of my life. I had no idea what was in store for me!” 

In 1969 R.L. Stine married Jane Waldhorn who would go on to become an editor and writer with whom Stine would work on several books with. 

Reader Beware, You’re in for an Unexpected Scare 

The year was 1989 when Stine created the Fear Street book series for teens and the series quickly became the best-selling YA series in history. What may shock fans of Fear Street books is that there was never some grand plan for Stine to go spooky, “I had no intention of ever being scary.” And if dabbling into the horror-verse and becoming wildly successful after Fear Street wasn’t enough of a plot twist, enter the Goosebumps series.

The year was 1992 and Goosebumps quickly became a worldwide sensation. As of 2024, there have been more than 230 Goosebumps books published, including the original 62 books. And if you thought the birth of a grandson would soften this beloved horror author, you thought wrong. R.L. Stine’s first picture book, Little Shop of Monsters was published in 2015. 

In recent years, R.L. Stine has continued to do what he does best – write. And freak people out. Stine continues to write Goosebumps books, comic books for Marvel, one graphic novel, and horror for adults. 

It’s Been a Scream: The Legacy of R.L. Stine

R.L. Stine has sold over 400 million books and his books have been translated into 35 different languages making him one of the best-selling authors in history. Fans of both Fear Street and Goosebumps have now grown up and started families of their own, but Stine’s terror reigns supreme as fans have now passed the beloved books down to their children, achieving what Stine set out to do – to get kids reading.

While we’re no longer kids saving allowance money and couch cushion change for the Scholastic Book Fair, but rather adults with adult money for bookstores and the proud owners of a library card to our local public library, we owe R.L. Stine countless thank yous for the mark he continues to leave on the hearts of millions. 

Happy Birthday, Mr. Stine, and thank you, from the bottom of our bibliophile hearts for the thrills and chills over the years. 

The post A Scary Good Time: Author R.L. Stine is Turning 81 appeared first on Magazine.

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1. Landscapes and Beauties: Feeling Like Reading the Next Volume by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (19th Century)

In this ukiyo-e style woodblock print, Japanese artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi from the Edo period depicts the sheer excitement and anticipation of a woman wanting to read the next volume while holding another book she’s just been reading. The framed image on the wall shows whitebait fishing at Nishinomiya of Settsu, the present-day Hyogo prefecture. 

The image comes from the book Sankai meisan zue, or Book of Specialties from Land and Sea, illustrated by Shitomi Kangetsu. The print captures the woman’s rich inner reading life and her pure joy knowing that she has all the time in the world for reading. 

2. The Bookworm by Carl Spitzweg (1850)

The artist Carl Spitzweg called the painting “Librarian,” but the 19th-century viewing public called it “The Bookworm,” a disparaging term for people who are bookish and dreamy. Spitzweg leads us to a rococo-style library where an old man stands at the top of a ladder, reading a book close to his face. An open book is in his right hand. There’s another one tucked under his left arm and another one squeezed in between his knees. 

The man is reading in the “Metaphysics” section of the library and a ray of light falls on him through a window on the ceiling. This scene alludes to the Age of Enlightenment of the 17th-18th century, an intellectual movement in Western Europe in which thinkers and leaders exchanged ideas on art, religion, humanity, nature, and science that challenged the traditional modes of thinking. 

Despite the movement’s celebration of new kinds of thinking, we see that the man seems to be confused and overwhelmed by all the knowledge in the world. This overwhelming feeling is further emphasized by the towering height of the ladder on which he is standing and the artist’s decision to blur out the lower part of the painting, signifying the endless expanse of the library. 

3. The Bibliophile by Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier (1862)

Meissonier’s oeuvre includes men in historical contexts and subjects such as soldiers, writers, and musicians. His paintings romanticize scenes from history. In this painting,  Meissonier captures a man thinking and writing in a sunlit room. The shelves are filled with books. The man may be a bibliophile, a book collector or a book lover, or a writer in the midst of finishing his manuscript. Meissonier captures the inner torment and the external calm of the man writing.

4. The Fairy Tale by Walter Firle (1900)

German painter Walter Firle is known for depicting his subjects in dramatic lighting and positioning them against a window. In “The Fairy Tale,” Firle shows three girls engrossed in a fairy tale book too large for them. The painting accurately captures the sustained interest and concentration emanating from the eyes of the three girls, which is refreshing to see.

5. Boy Reading Adventure Story by Norman Rockwell (1923)

Normal Rockwell was an American painter and illustrator known for depicting relatable scenes of American life, culture, and history. “Boy Reading Adventure Story” shows a young adult immersed in a book, sitting next to a black labrador and a pile of books. Rockwell captures how a story comes alive for the young man as he reads the story and imagines himself to be the hero in shining armor, riding a horse with the princess he has rescued. The artwork is currently in the collection of the filmmaker George Lucas, best known for creating Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.

6. The Library by Jacob Lawrence (1960)

Jacob Lawrence notes that black culture was not formally studied as a serious subject, so he had to educate himself by visiting libraries and museums. “The Library” may refer to the 135th Street Library, now known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, which houses the first significant collection of African American literature, history, and prints in the US. In “The Library,” the center is filled with people busy reading their books. 

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7. The Reader by William Tolliver

The Mississippi native William Tolliver’s love for reading is evident in his work “The Reader.” A self-taught artist, Tolliver paints his African American subjects with pride and dignity to “bring to the forefront the seriousness of art as a person’s heritage,” as he once said. Growing up, his mother borrowed books from the library that would help him learn how to make art. “The Reader” shows us the discipline and the commitment it takes to learn outside the four corners of the classroom.

8. SOB, SOB by Kerry James Marshall (2003)

The painting shows a black woman sitting on the floor by a shelf filled with prominent Black writers and books on Africa and the African diaspora. Thought bubbles “SOB…SOB…” might refer to the tragic realization that Black culture is excluded in art history and art museums, which Marshall aims to shed light on through his work. In this painting, the reader is catapulted into a sad reality that her heritage has been excluded from the mainstream narratives.

Photo Credit: Smithsonian American Art Museum

The post Readers According to Eight Artists appeared first on Magazine.

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November

Shorter days and longer nights have truly settled in.

I welcome these days,

Like a friend, visiting for the holidays.

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Hello you, I say,

I give you a warm hug, stay as long as you want, I add.

We shall stay warm by the crackling fire,

our dog has already re-claimed his favourite spot by the woodburner stove.

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Do mind that you don’t sit on our cat?

That’s her favourite spot on the couch.

She’ll be there all winter.

And purr you to sleep.

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We’ll catch-up with stories, as it gets darker outside.

I’ll make you warm hot chocolate,

And even lend you my electric blanket if you’re feeling the chill.

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I shall switch on all the lamps in the corners,

Perhaps even light some candles with that lovely cinnamon smell.

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And we can each retire after supper,

on our arm chairs with a lovely book,

here’s one from my knee high pile of books-to-read for the winter.

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Piano Lessons by Ian McEwan.

That is a long lovely read, it can accompany you althrough the cold days.

It’s a long tale about a boy’s coming-of-age,

of love and loss, and most importantly life!

Yes, do read it.  I loved it.

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If you prefer short stories,

Old Babes in the Wood by Margaret Atwood, might be a good fit for you.

The stories are all connected.  It’s a love story.

Also a story about loss and aging.  You’ll finish this in no time.

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Or if you’re like me.

Who just wants to get lost in a book (or books),

To while away the time,

hoping that by the time you reach the last page,

It will be nearly spring time!

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Re-reading classics like Mrs. Dalloway,

or the entire trilogy of the Lord of the Rings

is the way to do it.

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February

Oh hello you again, I say.

Still camped out on my coach.

Why are you still here?

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Haven’t you out-stayed your welcome?

I say all this in my head of course,

not wanting to be rude.

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I’m thinking of all the hot chocolate I’ve made for you,

all the delicious-healthy soup I’ve made from scratch.

I fed you all these lovely winter-warmers,

isn’t it about time you leave?

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I glance wistfully at my thinning pile of books,

hardly a pile now, you’ve read them all!

How greedy you are.

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The days are still short,

I sigh and look out the window

And await longingly for spring,

for the flowers to bloom,

for the days to be longer and warmer.

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I make a mental note to put the bell back on our dog’s collar,

to warn the skittish rabbits of his coming.

When he catches them he swallows them whole.

I’m sorry, did I shock you?

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I look at you from the corner of my eye

and dare I ask,

so,

when are you leaving?

The post PoemOfTheWeek: (Un)Wanted Guest/Winter to Spring appeared first on Magazine.

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Pluviophile [ˈplu vi əˌfaɪl ] is a relatively new word in the English language, first attested in the 1990s, and it provides a fascinating glimpse into the ways that history, science, and social priorities can all converge in how we choose to express ourselves. It is also a wonderful reminder of the ever-changing nature of language due to its current status as a neologism – a newly created word. All words were new at one time or another; tracing the history of pluviophile shows us our own creativity and influences when it comes to coining words for new concepts and previously unfulfilled linguistic needs.

What is a Pluviophile?

The individual elements of pluviophile come from Greek and Latin roots. The suffix -phile, from the Greek philos meaning “lover of” or “enthusiast for,” is fairly familiar to English speakers from its use in words like bibliophile (book lover) and Francophile (enthusiast for French culture/language).

The prefix pluvio- comes from the Latin pluviosus or pluvia denoting “rain.” Thus, a pluviophile is someone who loves or has enthusiasm for the rain. It is also sometimes used in the context of biology to describe organisms that thrive in rainy climates (such as mushrooms).

Mashups for Science: Combining Greek and Latin Roots for Scientific Advancement

The practice of combining Greek and/or Latin roots to create words for describing the world around us originated in the 18th century with Carl Linneaus, a Swedish biologist and physician who created the (usually) Latin binomial nomenclature that is now commonly used for classifying and organizing animal and plant species. At the time, Latin was considered the language of science since highly educated people could all read and write Latin in addition to their native tongues, allowing scientific information to be shared more broadly across linguistic and geographical borders.

Linneaus’ concept for creating binomial nomenclature based on the genus and species of plants and animals helped ensure that research was not hindered due to colloquial names for specimens, which could differ across languages or even regions within a single country. For example; the cougar, a large cat native to the American continents, is also known in English as the puma, mountain lion, catamount, or panther depending on the regional origins of the speaker. By assigning the nomenclature Puma concolor, scientists could avoid confusion by ensuring that they were discussing the same species no matter the colloquial name familiar to the individuals involved. Linneaus himself coined hundreds of scientific names, including homo sapiens (wise human) to describe modern humans in contrast to humans at earlier evolutionary stages such as homo erectus (upright human).

The introduction and adoption of the binomial nomenclature convention in scientific circles created a linguistic prestige for the construction; using a word created from Greek and Latin roots made the speaker sound more educated and therefore of a higher social status, so the practice broadened fairly quickly to areas outside of strict biological study, including other scientific and psychological fields as well as general society, prompting the creation of words like bibliophile (first attested in 1824 and formed from the Greek biblion “book” and philos “loving”) and claustrophobia (coined in 1879 from the Latin claustrum for a confined or closed space, and phobia “fear”).

As scientific studies progressed through the following centuries, more and more of these kinds of neologisms appeared in languages across the world. Fun fact: neologism is a self-referential example;  *neo-*from Greek meaning “new” and logos also from Greek meaning “speech, utterance” to form neologism with the meaning of “a newly formed word”, coined in the late 18th century after the introduction of Linneaus’ binomial nomenclature. Arachnophobia, pyromania, schizophrenia, and agoraphobia are older examples that have become established words in our English lexicon.

The New New Words: Evocative Slang

Modern neologisms include meme, clickbait, hangry, gaslighting, phishing, and many other words for concepts that have not previously existed or been discussed. Many modern neologisms like pluviophile, fomosapien, sapiosexual, and orthorexia still follow the convention of using Greek and Latin roots to create new words. These words recall Linneaus’ original constructions in order to carry the linguistic prestige implying a highly educated speaker, which has lingered around the form due to the widespread adoption of Linneaus’ construction concept in scientific, psychological, and other highly educated fields. We use words like pluviophile when we want to sound cultured, suave, and intelligent in a way that doesn’t come across the same in a simpler sentence like, “I love the rain.”

Neologisms take time to become an established word in the lexicon of a language, which is why we often do not find them in dictionaries until decades after they are coined. For pluviophile, Urban Dictionary (urbandictionary.com) lists it in the site’s characteristically sarcastic way, but the Oxford English Dictionary makes no mention of it, and other dictionaries have the word under review. And yet the word is a testament to the ongoing success of incorporating new words and ideas into the language considering the number of blogs and social sites that mention it and make use of it, so it can be assumed it will be added to future editions of various dictionaries soon.

In the meantime, we can marvel at the ease with which we construct and comprehend new words, the ever-changing landscape of the English language, and the common human experience that pushed us to make a fancy word for our weather-specific appreciation of the world around us. Now go splash in a puddle!

The post WordOfTheWeek: Pluviophile appeared first on Magazine.

The recent Denis Villeneuve Dune films follow Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, whose family is forced to engage in a death-defying war for the desert planet Arrakis. Paul’s visions for a dark and deadly future lead him onto a journey to face his fears and save his family. Both Herbert’s political and social messages as well as his incredible knack for weaving near absurd yet entirely believable storyscapes are well-represented in the films.

The films do a great job at capturing the noble Atreides family, the setting on the planet Arrakis, the Bene Gesserit ‘all female school’, and more, but do have shortcomings. Arrakeen, the bustling capital of Arrakis is sadly not really shown at all, and the Fremen have taken on a more ‘appeal to all’ approach rather than sticking to the books’ descriptions. Speak: they’ve been diversified rather than sticking to the Islamic roots Herbert so keenly described, something which could have been achieved by respectfully consulting with cultural representatives instead.

Besides these obvious disconnects, however, the key themes Herbert was so well-known for are all there. Dune is known for making a socio-political connection between power and human suffering. His books highlight the dangers of politics blended with religion in particular, and the films are no different. The seamless peppering of the movie adaptations using popular quotes from the books is particularly welcome. “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.” If reading or hearing these doesn’t give you goosebumps, why do you read?

Epically Weaved Worlds and a Classic Hero’s Story Arc

Some consider the Dune series The Lord of the Rings of Science Fiction. Writers and readers alike are notably in awe of both Herbert’s and Tolkien’s unbelievable talent for building worlds. The Dune books capture richly detailed, immersive universes with elaborate social, political, and ecological systems.

Herbert, like Tolkien, often drew on diverse cultures and histories. He spun a philosophical depth into his stories, exploring themes of politics, religion, ecology, and human consciousness. What makes his books continue to offer appeal nearly 40 years after his death are the way they provoke and challenge us to look inward and think.

Paul Atreides’ story follows a classic hero’s journey archetype that’s universally appealed since Homer’s Odyssey. Paul and many of his fellow characters grapple with questions of their identity and destiny. They face weighty challenges that are, at least on a philosophical level, entirely relatable.

As a main character, Paul Atreides is a classic Byronic hero, so appealing because of his complexity and humanity. Paul is neither brooding nor melancholic, as so many Byronic heroes are, but still has a dark quality that is so addictive to readers. He offers a bursting rebellious energy and nonconformity, challenging the established order and striving for more. He’s intelligent, highly perceptive, and both physically and mentally adept. His struggles with his own destiny and the weight of his prophesied role as the Kwisatz Haderach make him decidedly human, despite his quite superhuman role as the same.

Beautifully Crafted Dialogues and a (Mostly) Accurate Adaptation

Where the books have created the planet Arrakis and beyond in our heads since their inception, the films by Denis Villeneuve have taken this a step further. The world-building and visual spectacle presented in both Dune: Part One and Dune 2 bring the planet and its expansive desert vistas to life in a stunning fashion.

The casting, in particular with regards to Timothée Chalamet’s portrayal of Paul Atreides is spot-on and favoured by fans of the original novels. Herbert’s writing is weaved beautifully into the screenplay, and the epic scale and grandeur of his work isn’t diminished in any way by Villeneuve’s cinematography. If anything, his beautifully crafted dialogues are brought to life in a way that’ll be satisfying to book lovers. This is a relief to all of us who have ever been disappointed by a film adaptation of a beloved book or series.

Some parts of the original stories have been changed or omitted, for example the weird and wonderful storyline of the child Alia and her ancestral wisdom, the timescales of Paul’s story, and the city of Arrakeen. Interestingly, most of this still works quite well though fans will almost certainly miss Alia’s quirky character and find the ‘pre-born’ voice from within her mother’s womb (almost) a little too odd. Beyond this, we had limited complaints, as Villeneuve’s interpretation seems to enhance the originals, rather than taking anything from them.

Emotionally, the epic scale and high stakes involved in Paul’s storyline leave viewers and readers of the books alike breathless. Themes of both sacrifice and redemption, identity and belonging all resonate with viewers. These are of course amplified by the epic music provided by composer Hans Zimmer, making for a multi-sensorial experience that’ll have you re-visiting both books and films again and again.

Epic Cinematography and a Respectful Interpretation of the Books

Watching a movie adaptation of a beloved book or series can sometimes be challenging. How many of us have really looked forward to a film only to find it didn’t truly respect the original tone, story, and characters the author created? Both of the modern Dune movies will delight fans of the original books by Frank Herbert. True, they don’t follow every single nuance of the original literary works, but they adapt and expand on Herbert’s work in a respectful and meaningful way.

The epic cinematography only enhances and makes visible the richly detailed universe of Dune that we’ve created in our own minds as readers. Clever casting, fantastic music, and rich details make the movies enhanced interpretations of the original — rather than directors and actors running haywire with an idea of their own.

The paradox here is that, of course, the movies are different from the books, and some little changes such as the more bland representation of the Fremen will jar with some. Overall, however, the spirit of Herbert’s books is well represented, the themes are there, and Villeneuve’s conductorship orchestrates something magical that bibliophiles will love.

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What is Vellichor?

Vellichor, noun. Coined in August 2013 by John Koenig, the creator of The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, an online blog dedicated to defining neologisms (newly crafted words) for emotions that have not yet been adequately defined in English. Taken from “vellum” (high quality parchment made from prepared animal skins) and “ichor” (the ethereal fluid that is the blood of the gods in classical Greek myth), vellichor was defined by Koenig in 2013 as:

the strange wistfulness of used bookstores, which are somehow infused with the passage of time—filled with thousands of old books you’ll never have time to read, each of which is itself locked in its own era, bound and dated and papered over like an old room the author abandoned years ago, a hidden annex littered with thoughts left just as they were on the day they were captured.

Koenig’s Dictionary, which began as a blog and a series of video essays, was published in book form in 2021. By then, many of the neologisms within it had been happily adopted by logophiles and readers who were thrilled by the evocative words he introduced: sonder (the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own), ellipsism (sadness that you’ll never be able to know how history turns out), the wends (frustration that you’re not enjoying an experience as much as you should), chrysalism (the amniotic tranquility of being indoors during a thunderstorm). Vellichor and its fellows in the Dictionary pinpointed very specific human emotions that were evocative and relatable.

Evolution into Olfaction: Adding Dimensions to Definition

Though the term is barely more than a decade old, vellichor has captured the attention and imagination of a sufficient number of people that its functional definition is already evolving in a fascinating way. Since its construction echoes the now-familiar petrichor, which describes “a pleasant, distinctive smell frequently accompanying the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather in certain regions” (OED), many have begun to include scent in their definition of vellichor, usually the scent of old paper and books. Compass Box, a Scotch whiskey bottler, offers a high-end variety named Vellichor and meant to evoke just such a scent. Dungeons and Dragons (5^th edition) includes a legendary magic sword named Vellichor that smells of “a cool spring breeze and fresh grass” and can cut through dimensions. In perfumery circles, the definition of vellichor only briefly mentions the emotion of wistfulness and focuses instead on the scent of old books, which has long been an area of fascination. There are dozens of perfumes with names like “Old Books,” “Dead Writers,” “Whispers in the Library,” and “Bibliothèque.”

In fact, the scent of old books has been a fascination in scientific circles for longer than we’ve had vellichor as a word. “Material Degradomics: On the Smell of Old Books,” a scientific study published in 2009 and led by Matija Strlic, analyzed the compounds that the various components of books – leather, glue, paper, ink – released as they decay. She described the smell of old books as “a combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying mustiness; this unmistakable smell is as much a part of the book as its contents.” 

The hint of vanilla Strlic mentions comes from a compound called lignin, a compound present in all wood-based paper, which is closely related to vanillin, the primary extract of the vanilla bean. Interestingly, vanillin has been scientifically proven to be calming, significantly reducing what’s known as the ‘startle reflex,’ to the point that it is being trialed in fragrancing areas of high stress in hospitals, particularly MRI and CT scan rooms and areas where patients receive chemotherapy treatment for cancer. Given lignin’s close relationship to this proven calming compound, perhaps this helps explain why so many of us feel calmer and refreshed by visiting used bookstores. 

It IS a Real Word

When looking into newer words like vellichor and last week’s #word of the week pluviophile, it’s common to find naysayers who insist that these neologisms aren’t REAL words, according to some nebulous criteria that usually boils down to “it wasn’t a word when I was little” or “someone purposefully crafted it.” It’s entertainingly baffling to find these arguments, because as a linguist, I know that this is how languages evolve. New words are introduced because of some gap in our vocabulary; whether that is attached to new technology or as an aesthetically pleasing way to introspect on the human condition. Old words attached to defunct ideas fall away. Slang changes from generation to generation. 

Every word we use was once a neologism. Even 150 years ago, a significant percentage of the English-speaking population used thee/thy/thine 2^nd person pronouns instead of you/your/yours; now, we are hard-pressed to find someone who can use the former correctly. Email was coined in the 1970s, but no one could claim today that it’s “not a real word.” Language is constantly changing and updating, and that’s part of why it’s so fascinating. Vellichor isn’t even included in traditional dictionaries yet, but already it’s evolving to incorporate a particular scent profile in addition to the original definition. It’ll be interesting to see what the definition is when it finally gets included in the OED. 

In the meantime, make sure you get a chance sometime soon to visit your favorite used bookstore and drink in the vellichor; and remember – it’s scientifically proven to be good for your mental health!

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Since the publication of Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s famous tale, “The Little Prince”, in 1943, several generations of children and adults have been captivated by its story. The book just celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2023, and the world-wide fanfare demonstrated just how impactful the book and its characters remain today. On 20 September 2023, Catherine Colonna, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Olivier d’Agay, grand-nephew of Antoine de Saint Exupéry, unveiled the bronze sculpture of the Little Prince at the entrance to the garden of the Villa Albertine, the French bookshop and headquarters of the cultural services of the French Embassy in the United States, located at 972 Fifth Avenue. The project, created by French sculptor Jean-Marc de Pas, was made possible through a collaboration between the American Society of Le Souvenir Français and the Antoine de Saint Exupéry Youth Foundation.

The 1m20 sculpture was sculpted in clay and cast in bronze in a single piece in the sculptor’s studio in Normandy, France. The Little Prince has been installed in the garden of the historic Payne Whitney Mansion, facing passers-by on Fifth Avenue. A Gilded Age architectural masterpiece built by Stanford White between 1902 and 1906, the building was acquired by France in the 1950s and now serves as the New York headquarters of the Villa Albertine.

“This statue is amazingly successful with a Little Prince who is both innocent and clever,” explains Olivier d’Agay, grand-nephew of Antoine de Saint Exupéry in Ouest France, “The Little Prince is an ambassador of hope, culture, childhood, protection of the planet.” 

While dozens of plaques and statues around the world commemorate the author of The Little Prince, this statue is the first of its scale in Manhattan, an area Saint Exupéry left just a few weeks before the book was published.

Where does the Little Prince come from? 

If you ask him, he comes from Asteroid B-612, a planet not much bigger than a house—which begs the question of where he stores his rather extensive wardrobe! His creator maintained that he one day looked down on what he thought was a blank sheet of paper, to discover the tiny figure. “I asked him who he was,” Saint-Exupéry reported. “I’m the Little Prince,” announced his visitor.

The reality is a little more complicated. Saint-Exupéry was a famed French aviator and author, who found himself grounded in New York City during World War II when Germany invaded France in 1940. Despite a warm welcome in NYC due to his publishing success, he found himself gnarling at his exile. He wrestled with self-doubt, longing for his home, and the physical toll of past crashes. His publishers did an incredible job to inspire him to dabble into writing his first Children’s Book. The Little Prince was born. Not from striking inspiration coming from the writing gods but from this melancholic time in the US where he felt home-sick, out-of-place and riddled with the sad times of war exile. The themes of the story hovered around Saint Exupery’s usuals. His characters, like the rose and the aviator himself, had appeared in his writings before. Even the act of escape, a core feature of the Little Prince’s journey, resonated with Saint-Exupéry’s own yearning.

How much did Saint-Exupéry resemble his hero? “You are an extraterrestrial” a New York friend informed him several years before the book’s conception. “Yes, yes, it is true, I sometimes go for walks among the stars,” admitted Saint-Exupéry, laughing. Attempting in 1939 to describe him, his publisher allowed that he was basically “a lonely, but an infinitely friendly soul, sophisticated and yet child-like.” Sounds familiar?

The Little Prince’s whimsical adventures – leaving his tiny asteroid, encountering peculiar adults on other planets, and befriending a fox in the desert – mirrored Saint-Exupéry’s critiques of society woven into a fantastical tale. The book’s creation was far from smooth sailing.  He battled deadlines, revised relentlessly, and even his publisher found the manuscript perplexing.  First published in New York in both English and French in 1943, reviews were initially mixed, with some praising its originality and others unsure of its audience.

In 1944, Saint Exupery disappeared as silently as his golden-haired alter ego had vanished in the desert. Returning to Corsica from a July 31 reconnaissance mission, Saint-Exupéry plunged into the Mediterranean at high speed. Twenty-five days later, Paris was liberated. The aircraft was recovered only in 2004; the cause of the crash is unclear.

Despite the initial lukewarm reception, The Little Prince ended up transcending expectations.  Published posthumously in France in 1946 after his disappearance (the book weirdly predicts it!) it resonated with readers seeking solace in a war-torn world. The book’s poignant message about love, friendship, and the importance of looking beyond the surface has ensured its place as a timeless classic. So much so, in fact, that it went to outsell every other book on the planet except the Bible. Today, you can read The Little Prince in 270 languages, in 26 different alphabets and it continues to touch hearts and challenge perspectives, a testament to Saint-Exupéry’s ability to weave his own experiences with universal truths.

What is it about?

Sometimes called a fairy tale, other times classified as a fable or even a sci-fi novella, “The Little Prince ” is the Children’s book telling the story of a pilot who crashed in the Sahara Desert. While there, he meets a rather strange boy, called The Little Prince.

The Little Prince is from an asteroid called B-612; and is on a journey across the universe which led him right here on Planet Earth. Before landing here, we learn he encountered a cast of peculiar adults on different planets (each representing a flaw in human nature: a king with no subjects, a conceited man, a drunkard, and a businessman obsessed with ownership). Disillusioned by these encounters, the prince crash-landed on Earth.

The pilot learns about the prince’s life on his asteroid, where he cares for a unique rose. The prince, however, feels a growing disconnect from his rose and decides to leave. On Earth, the prince develops a bond with a fox who teaches him valuable lessons about friendship and love. The fox explains that the prince’s rose is special because of the time and love he has invested in her. 

With newfound understanding, the prince realizes his deep affection for his rose and yearns to return to her. The pilot helps him achieve this by building a hot air balloon. As the prince departs, he leaves the pilot with a poignant reminder: “what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Themes, Symbols and Lessons

The symbolism in this book is omnipresent.

The Little Prince himself can be thought to represent childlike wonder, innocence, and the untamed spirit that often fades with age. His travels symbolize a quest for meaning, connection, and a return to that youthful perspective.

Throughout his encounters, the prince unlocks valuable lessons through powerful symbols:

• The Rose: This delicate flower embodies love’s complexities. Her demanding nature teaches the prince about nurturing and the importance of seeing beyond appearances.
• The Fox: A symbol of wisdom, the fox teaches the prince about the art of “taming” – building genuine relationships through time, trust, and shared experiences.
• The Snake: Representing the cycle of life and mortality, the snake offers cryptic wisdom, reminding us to cherish each moment and contemplate the deeper meaning of existence.

Other symbols offer insights into human nature and societal pitfalls:

• The Elephant in the Boa Constrictor: This misunderstood drawing highlights the limitations of rigid perspectives. It encourages us to embrace imagination and look beyond the obvious.
• The Baobab Trees: These invasive trees symbolize unchecked negativity. The prince’s vigilance in uprooting them reminds us to confront destructive influences before they take root.

The prince also encounters characters trapped in their pursuits:

• The King: This is the first adult the prince encounters. Despite his grand pronouncements and desires to be obeyed, the king has no real subjects to rule. His insistence on having them, even demanding that the prince act as one, highlights the dangers of desiring power for its own sake. The king represents those who prioritize outward appearances and control over genuine connection and purpose.
• The Astronomer: Obsessed with counting stars, he represents the limitations of academic knowledge without genuine connection to the world.
• The Geographer: Representing the dangers of theoretical knowledge, the geographer has never explored the world he claims to understand.
• The Businessman: This planet represents materialism and the relentless pursuit of possessions. The businessman’s obsession with counting and owning stars exemplifies the hollowness of a life focused solely on acquisition. This is a critique of the world we live in.

The desert setting itself plays a significant role; the harsh environment underscores the importance of the encounter between the pilot and the prince. It serves as a reminder that challenging times can often lead to unexpected growth and new perspectives. In the desolation, a unique friendship blossoms, reminding us that moments of connection can be found even in the most unexpected places.

A Children’s story for Grown-ups

The story’s overarching theme is undoubtedly the importance of cultivating childlike curiosity and seeing the world with fresh eyes. 

As children we get told to use our imagination all day long – as it should be. But it’s when we’re all grown-up that we’re perhaps most in need of a reminder. For some reason, we’ve lost this ability that came so naturally to us as children.

For me, that’s what The Little Prince is all about. It’s about taking a step back and realising that sometimes we take adult life a tad too seriously and we forget the true meaning of life. As adults, we tend to sometimes drown ourselves in what we think society expects of us while giving up what makes life worth-living: love, relationships and imagination.

That’s why The Little Prince is a timeless story. It is one of those books that can be read hundreds of times and yet newly found wisdom can be uncovered every time based on where you are in life. Its symbolism, its artwork, and the enduring themes explored can lead to exciting aha moments and enrich our own lives, but also those of others. It’s also a gentle rumination on loss, and how to empathize with the loss that others are feeling. These lessons are ones that remain vitally important today.

C.S. Lewis once wrote “One day, you will be old enough to read fairly tails again” and, on this year’s International Children’s Book Day’s occasion, the 1000 Libraries editorial team encourages you to revisit The Little Prince whether by yourself or with your children & family. A book that is perhaps the best proof that, for a book to be impactful, one does not have to be highly complex in prose, style or long in page; it just has to be simple enough to touch your heart. 

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Elysian /ɪˈlɪzɪən/ (adjective) characteristic of heaven or paradise. “Elysian visions”

Literary. Delightful. Blissful. Glorious.

Even the sound of the word is beautiful, the gentle consonants rolling off the tongue. A great example of the word and meaning working in synchronicity. But where did this wonderful word come from? It is believed to have come (via Latin) from the Greek Elusion (pedion) or ‘(plain) of the blessed’. This developed into the word Elysium, from which Elysian derives.

In Greek mythology, Elysium was a paradise reserved for specific heroes. Only those favoured by the Gods were allowed to enter Elysium and gain immortality. Legends such as Achilles, Medeia, Ajax, and Helene were all graced with entry into this hallowed place. Over time, it transformed into a sanctuary for those virtuously departed, not just these heroes. Thus, it became associated with ultimate serenity and bliss. It eventually evolved into the adjective we have now, with Elysian referring to any place that evokes this blessed state of happiness. 

Echoes of Elysium: Inspiration from Shakespeare, Homer, and Ovid 

Now, let’s take a trip back to Shakespeare. In Henry V, the Bard graces us with an ode to the concept of Elysium. In Act IV, Henry V complains about how difficult it is to be king, lamenting that while he is awake at night stressing about his responsibilities, the ordinary man “all night sleeps in Elysium,”  free of any worries. A questionable sentiment from King Henry, but a great way of describing how blissful a night of uninterrupted, peaceful sleep is! Elysian Zzzzzs!

Previous to this, Homer depicted it as a realm of perfect happiness: “As for yourself, King Menelaos, it is not your fate to die in Argos . . . The Deathless Ones will waft you instead to the world’s end, the Elysian fields where yellow-haired Rhadamanthys is”. The gloriousness of heaven, summarised in the term Elysian Fields.

Ovid describes Orpheus’s journey in the Underworld: “Searching through the Elysian fields, he found Eurydice and took her in his arms with a leaping heart.” while Virgil wrote, “ I dwell in Elysium amid the sweet assemblies of the blest.” It’s fascinating to see how the concept of Elysium has captured the imaginations throughout the ages.

Elysian Wonders in Modern Literature

We can also see examples of the Elysian in more recent literature—not necessarily the word itself, but the state of wonder it evokes. Take, for example, the lush descriptions of the natural world in Tolkien’s Middle-earth, where every leaf and every tree has a special place in the story, and dazzling vistas are presented to the reader.

Or consider the sweeping romance of Jane Austen’s novels, where love blooms amidst the rolling English hills. Her novels conjure scenes of strolling through the idyllic countryside, visiting grand manor houses. What better way to evoke that elysian sense, transporting the reader back to the Georgian era. 

Or, how about Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series, where the snow-covered, secluded village of Three Pines creates a cozy, idyllic, and almost magical atmosphere within each story? It is impossible not to be swept up in the elysian elements, with the location almost becoming another character in the story.

Whether you’re lost in the realms of The Lord of the Rings, swept away by the romance of Pride and Prejudice, or entangled in the mysteries of Three Pines, one thing remains clear: the essence of Elysian endures, reminding us that moments of bliss and beauty are always waiting to be discovered.

Elysian in Context: Meaning and Usage Today

It may not be a phrase you hear very often, but it is one every bookworm should use in their repertoire. You can tell your friends about the elysian landscapes—the realms or vistas captured in your recently-read novels. Plus, your reviews will really be elevated!

If you are a writer, why not incorporate it when describing the wonder of your setting? “The grey castle, perched atop the hill, held an air of elysian mystique.” Or your character could be in a “garden that felt like an elysian oasis in the midst of the bustling city.” This beautiful word adds an ethereal quality to the description, evoking a sense of bliss that only this can.

So, the next time you’re reading a book, keep a keen eye out for this wondrous concept. It might be lurking in the lines of your favourite poem. In the breathtaking landscapes of an epic fantasy.  In the quiet moments of reflection in a coming-of-age story. In those moments, you’ll discover the true magic of storytelling—the power to transport us to worlds beyond our wildest dreams, where beauty knows no bounds.

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