Lucy Tang

Old role models, new perspective

What happens when the literary heroes of your childhood don't appear as admirable as they once did?

By Lucy Tang | Dec 1 07:02 pm ET

Internet slang leaves writers lost in communication

While we in the States bemoan the intrusion of Internet shorthand (“LOL,” “WTF,” “FML”) into the vernacular, the Japanese language, in some ways, faces extinction.

By Lucy Tang | Nov 10 07:15 pm ET

What makes literature lowbrow?

With the simultaneous popularization of and obsession with lowbrow culture (see: ONTD, “Gossip Girl,” Miley Cyrus), has it become a social taboo to read literature?

By Lucy Tang | Oct 27 07:17 pm ET

Breaking down Butler’s hierarchy

On any given night at Butler, it's easier to study the social scene than study Frontiers.

By Lucy Tang | Oct 13 07:03 pm ET

Searching for and finding oneself in a good book

A friend gave me this tidbit of advice: “This isn’t you. This isn’t sparkly.” After I came to terms with the fact that the adjectives used to characterize me—“playful” and “sparkly”—are also seen on advertisements for My Little Pony, I had to face the daunting process of first figuring out who I was and then putting that knowledge to paper.

By Lucy Tang | Sep 29 10:24 pm ET

AUDIO SLIDESHOW: The Brooklyn Book Festival

By Lucy Tang and Daniel D'Addario | Oct 9 01:05 am ET

Life lessons on the road, off the shelf

According to Petrarch, travel and reading are the best ways to gain experience.

By Lucy Tang | Sep 15 08:34 pm ET

Sentimental education: of discovering the self within a book

The other day in one of my seminars, a classmate, who I will refer to as “C,” revealed that his favorite book was John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces. I was absolutely flabbergasted—not from shock, but by how perfectly the book matched his personality.

By Lucy Tang | Apr 26 09:12 pm ET

21st century literary archives examined

I doubt anyone expects, or wants, a graduate student to one day pore over his or her Gchat conversations. Because these new forums are overloaded with information, future archivists may face the more difficult challenge of distinguishing between valuable and throwaway writing.

By Lucy Tang | Apr 12 10:36 pm ET

Sentimental Education: Better to teach from the book or bring it to life?

With a title like “Sentimental Education,” I suppose it’s only appropriate to devote one column to pedagogical imperatives.

By Lucy Tang | Mar 30 12:04 am ET

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