by Peter Scotchmer | Jun 16, 2026 | Essays
Polonius: What do you read, my lord? Hamlet: Words, words, words. Polonius: What is the matter, my lord? Hamlet: Between who? Polonius: I mean, the matter that you read, my lord. (Hamlet, II, ii) As part of The Ironist’s continuing series of articles on language and...
by Jonathan Bennett | Jun 2, 2026 | Essays
First a bestseller and now a prestige television series, A Gentleman in Moscow invites us to believe that grace and civility might yet survive the twentieth century’s great undoing. Picture Credits: Amazon Some months ago, I read A Gentleman in Moscow during a...
by Nigel Scotchmer | May 19, 2026 | Essays
A drive down from myth-haunted Mt. Parnassus into the passes, graveyards, and battlefields Picture Credits: Edward Dodwell, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons It is said that Zeus, the great philanderer, lay with Mnemosyne (Memory), a Titan, for a marathon...
by Peter Scotchmer | May 12, 2026 | Essays
This is the second essay by Peter on the intricacies of the English language. Here, he writes on where inspiration comes from, and why no amount of effort can quite summon it. My first piece in the English language series talked about the quality of writing that...
by Aashisha Chakraborty | Apr 28, 2026 | Essays
About the most forgettable Bennet sister and a retelling of Pride and Prejudice… “There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of...
by Peter Scotchmer | Apr 7, 2026 | Essays
Starting in April 2026, The Ironist is starting a running monthly series of articles on the English language written by our very own contributor Peter Scotchmer, a retired English teacher. Polonius: ‘What is the matter you read, my lord?’ Hamlet: ‘Words, words,...