In this radio piece, NPR looks back at the music written during and about the Vietnam War. Many musicians used protest songs to voice their opposition to the war.
Tag Archives: Arts & Entertainment
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
John Trumbull’s famous painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence portrays a scene that did not happen. Read the article to learn about the inaccuracies, and click the online extra to explore the painting by hovering over faces to see who is depicted.
The strange fates of the Shakespeare First Folio
Chair of the English department at University of Nevado, Reno, Eric Rasmussen recently authenticated a Shakespeare First Folio found in France. He discusses the searches lead over the years to find copies of this first collection of William Shakespeare’s plays, which includes The Tempest.
Shakespeare in Love
The 1998 film Shakespeare in Love, winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, presented a fictionalized young William Shakespeare in the process of writing The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Get a sneak peek by reading legendary film critic Roger Ebert’s review.
Fairy Tales: Help or Hinder?
In fairy tales about knights, dragons, princes, and princesses, good wins over evil. But should children think that nothing bad happens in real life? Should fairy tales be read to children today? Read the author’s opinion and decide whether or not you agree with what fairy tales really tell.
Ramsey Campbell and Stephen King on why Rupert Bear and Bambi are truly terrifying
Horror writers discuss their surprising inspirations and the particular pleasure derived from fear in the horror genre.
Photographing on Top of the World
Joe McNally takes photographs in hard-to-reach and risky places. Recently, he made it to the top of the world’s tallest building in Dubai to take a photo of the view. Read about it, and watch a video of how he did it, here.
Nik Wallenda completes wire walk across Chicago skyline
Read about how daredevil Nik Wallenda broke two records tightrope walking on a steel wire more than 50 stories above the Chicago river.
Why Shakespeare Matters
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., houses one of the richest collections of materials related to William Shakespeare and fosters research, productions, and educational outreach. Why devote so much effort to works over 400 years old, by an author from another country?
Are All Movie Heroes the Same Person?
If you’ve ever watched a movie and thought, This hero reminds me of a hero in another movie, you’re not alone. Author Joseph Campbell explored myths and stories about heroes from around the world and found that they have much in common; his work in turn inspired the creation of new movie heroes, including the heroes of the Star Wars series.
Amid Tensions, a New Portrayal of Anne Frank
Although the story of Anne Frank has been told in a movie and two plays, a fresh version of her story was recently written and performed on stage in Amsterdam. The new play covers some of Anne’s life before the war and after the discovery of the Secret Annex.
Good Art Is Popular Because It’s Good. Right?
In an effort to find out why certain pieces of art are successful, a Princeton professor designed a study that concluded that chance has a lot to do with it.
The Hudson River School
The Hudson River School was a group of distinctly American artists who painted landscapes in the mid-1800s. View the slideshow and consider how their depictions of nature reflected the ideas of the Transcendentalist writers of the same time period.
Famous Ghosts in American History
Everyone knows that ghosts aren’t real. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of ghost stories to go around. This site lists a few of those stories, describing tales sometimes told about the nation’s most famous ghosts.
Asian Dragons
Dragons are creatures of power in the tales of many cultures. In Asian legends, dragons are wise, protect people, and control the water of the earth.
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales 2012 – a multimedia pilgrimage
In 2012, a group of people retraced the route of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales pilgrims in a four-day trek. Listen to the audio and watch the videos embedded throughout the article to hear the participants recite pieces from the work.
Eugene O’Neill Biography
Over the course of his career, Nobel Prize-winning writer Eugene O’Neill used his struggles as inspiration for his moving plays. Read about his life in this biography.
In northern Mali, music silenced as Islamists drive out artists
The west African nation of Mali stretches from arid desert to lush tropics and is home to rich cultural traditions in music, architecture, and ancient scholarship. Recently, though, its renowned musicians have faced threats that have sent them into hiding or across the globe in search of freedom.
Artful Animals
Through the years, African artists have crafted animal artifacts as symbols of specific ideas and traits. Explore the many links on this site to view some artifacts and to discover how the traits of various animals play a key role in African folktales.
‘Beyond Bollywood’: Inside the Smithsonian’s exhibition on Indian Americans
The new Smithsonian exhibition, “Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation,” is meant to show the imprint Indian Americans have made in United States culture throughout the centuries. Take a look inside the exhibition.