Our relationships with characters from books and screen – called parasocial relationships – serve many of the same functions as our friendships with real people, minus the infection risks.
Through careful framing and dialogue, Autumn de Wilde’s movie portrays Emma as the embodiment of perfection, rather than less-than-faultless heroine of Austen’s book.
The books chosen as finalists in this year’s Stella Prizes can help us draw on our innate resources. We can seek inner truths and explore ways to support each other thanks to these gifted writers.
Readers often turn to romance fiction in times of uncertainty. Here are five reads for the newbie romance reader, for when you need a story where everything turns out okay in the end.
Paul Heald, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Fewer books will be available to South Africans, and the books remaining under copyright will be more expensive, if the country gives in to US pressure to extend its copyright term.
Publishers funnel massive amounts of resources into promoting titles that they think will become bestsellers. But they’ve become spellbound by ‘stories of struggle’ that can succumb to stereotypes.
The benefits from shared storybook reading do not depend on whether books are bought, borrowed or new or used. Some suggested read-aloud books for children aged about kindergarten to Grade 2.
From art that centres the African-American experience to feminist retellings, the British Museum’s new exhibition explores culture’s enduring fascination with the legend of Troy