Society & Culture
Family stories help forge an identity—even when they're not entirely true
Our own personal costume dramas, they’re vehicles for passing down values, animating our genetic inheritance through accounts of pluck and hard graft
Coronavirus and the classics—what the ancient Greeks can teach us about pandemics
From Homer to Thucydides, plague provided a backdrop for drama
We need laughter now more than ever—it gets us through the darkest times
A joke does not trivilaise suffering but reminds us there is life beyond it
Coronavirus and the intimacy of human filth
From sharing toothpaste to wiping my poorly son's brow, true human intimacy inevitably involves a bit of grime
The rise of audiobook snobbery—and what it's really about
Reading a book—not listening to it—has become its own sort of status symbol
How "Just a Minute" and "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue" taught me what it means to be English
Games, like sport, operate according to subtle moral codes
"My mind was a mess"—how an afternoon spent rockpooling taught me to slow down
The world will come to life around you if you let it
The tragedy of the lost Classics—mourning the Greek and Roman works of literature we'll never get to read
So much was lost, we don't even know what we're missing
Children accept the changing shape of family—it's grown-ups who are the problem
If only the rest of the world were as accepting as the under-fives
A day for Miss Achelis: how leap years remind us that rules can always be broken
Every four years, February 29th reminds us that human time is arbitrary. So why not change it? Or at least have a drink...
I love my home—so why do I feel so ambivalent about being a homemaker?
The temerity of suggesting that my partner and I will be together here in this house long enough to watch the linen of our tablecloth soften is, quite frankly, too much for me to bear