About

Welcome to Interesting Literature, an online library of all that is most interesting and captivating about literature. Here you’ll find fun facts, interesting research into writers and their work, and blog posts which seek to capture the most fascinating facets of the literary world. So pull up a chair at this virtual library of literary wonder, and begin browsing!

About Interesting Literature

Interesting Literature was set up in 2012 by Dr Oliver Tearle, Lecturer in English at Loughborough University and freelance writer. It takes its cue from the likes of the classical author Plutarch, the seventeenth-century antiquarian John Aubrey, and the TV programme QI, among others.

The aim is simple: to uncover the little-known interesting facts about the world of books, and to shine a light on some of the more curious aspects of literature. Looked at in the right way, every novel, play, poem, short story, and author is interesting. We seek to make the study and discovery of literature a little more interesting by bringing only the most curious aspects of a writer and their work to readers, if only as a ‘way in’ to discovering that work.

In 2016, Interesting Literature also became a book, The Secret Library: A Book-Lovers’ Journey Through Curiosities of History, a treasury of 99 miniature histories which contains all sorts of hidden gems from the world of literature, such as the ancient parody of Homer’s Iliad, the surprising identity of England’s first female dramatist, and the bestselling nineteenth-century American novel that predicted radio stations, credit cards, and electronic broadcasting. In 2017 a follow-up book, Britain by the Book: A Curious Tour of Our Literary Landscape, was published by John Murray.

Unless otherwise stated, all posts are written by Dr Oliver Tearle.

The Impact of Interesting Literature

Since it was founded in 2012, this blog has attracted readers from all over the world. It has been featured or cited in, among others, The Guardian, the Huffington PostBuzzfeedMental Floss, Psychology Today, and QI, and has been used by various schools and universities around the world. If you’ve found our articles useful at all, please do let us know by contacting us (either at the email address below or on Twitter).

We have over 25,000 subscribers and over 15 million visitors every year – five times as many as the Tower of London, albeit with less impressive buttresses.

Contacting Us

Please note we are not currently accepting offers of guest posts, so do not email us with a pitch; we don’t have time to respond at the moment, alas, but wish you luck with your writing and blogging endeavours.

If you have a query or would like to let us know that you’ve found this blog useful, you can get in touch via the contact page.

All articles © Oliver Tearle 2023 unless otherwise stated.

487 thoughts on “About”

  1. Thanks for the follow and like.
    I like what you’re doing here so far and have followed (and will read your back posts shortly).
    I have a feeling that I might use some of your posts as jumping off points on my own blog at some point (…and you might find a few things of interest in my archives).
    All the best.
    – Chris

    Reply
  2. Thanks so much for the like and the follow of Bookshelf: for the intellectually curious. You have an absolutely brilliant blog — dispensing fascinating pearls about literature in well-written, informative short posts. Reading your blog is like browsing the stacks at a great library, like the Bodleian or the NYPL. Similar to my blog, Interesting Literature is all about making great literature accessible, highlighting its importance and value to culture, and how it is woven into the fabric of the world. Great literature is the DNA of humanity, defining who we were and who we are and what has shaped us. This is such a noble effort and look forward to reading future posts.

    Reply
    • Thanks so much for such an eloquent endorsement of my blog, and such a passionate defence of literature itself. I’ve added you to my ‘Café’ page above as a recommended blog for my readers to visit. Look forward to reading more of yours!

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  3. I, too, find your blog a wonderful idea and highly engaging. But I’d like to ask: what are your sources for all these interesting literary facts? Have you thought about ways to (probably unobtrusively) cite your sources? Best of luck to you!

    Reply
    • That’s a fair point – coming from an academic background, I always try to ensure that information I repeat/disseminate on this website is supported in several publications such as books, articles, etc. rather than merely being drawn from websites which may not be factually accurate. It’d also help our readers to locate the information if they wish to learn more about anything we mention here. I’ll have to review this, and see if there is a way of making such information, as you say, available but unobtrusive. Thanks for your comment, which has got me thinking! IL

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  4. Hi, thanks for the like and follow. You’ve created an excellet blog here and one that I’m sure I’ll be keeping an eye on in the future – the current post about unusual deaths is fascinating. Keep up the good work!!

    Reply
    • Thanks, much appreciated! Am enjoying your blog a great deal. I too was inspired by Matthew Davis’s 2012 year of reading Dickens, and have made a reading resolution this year to read and record as many interesting details about literature as I can. So yes, do watch this space – more posts will be appearing soon! IL

      Reply
  5. Ahoy there

    Thank you for having a look at my blog and deeming it interesting enough to follow :)
    This looks like a grand spot for bookworms and word nerds so congregate – enjoying the posts so far!
    Hope to see more soon and to be able to contribute to the inevitable and engaging discussions that follow.

    Fair winds!

    M

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  6. Hello. Thanks for following my blog and for the trail back to this site. It’s brilliant. I’m only sorry I didn’t find it in time to spread the little Christmas literary nuggets you have listed. I’ll stow them away for next year. Looking forward to see what else you come up with.

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      • I can almost guarantee you will be, the last entry was brilliant. Thank you. I’m glad you’re a fan. I hope to use it as a platform to announce some of these little nuggets of gold that some smaller theatres have programmed.

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  7. Hi there, thanks for the like and follow! I’m looking forward to exploring your site further and getting inspired to choose upcoming novels for my “13 in ’13” Reading Challenge! Cheers,

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  8. You really live up to your name! I love literary trivia of all sorts! There’s something about literature that humbles you after you’ve read some: there’s so many more stories waiting to be explored and loved. Thanks for following my blog!

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  9. wow..thank you for following our blog..we are humbled to attract the attention of such a high brow sounding blog..or did you just google deep throat and find us..anyway thanks..we are honored.

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  10. Hello and thanks very much for finding the time to visit (and follow) my “beeseeker” blog. I am intrigued by your “space” here and will “mooch” around for a while.

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  11. I’ve read or skimmed through most of your posts this morning…they’re all very interesting…I will be sure to pop by in the future. Also, thanks for stopping by WP and liking/following my most recent post.

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  12. Thank you for you’re like and for following my blog! I just started browsing yours, you’ve got some great stuff here. I especially liked the “fun facts” about well known books and the list of unusual author death.

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  13. Thx for the like & follow. Your blog is full of interesting, revealing & inspiring literary facts. I have to admit though, it will take some patience on my part to read the posts, given the length & ‘intelligent’ info! Should be worth the attempt.

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  14. Thank you for liking my blog, and what a great find you are! I love literature, have a Masters in English from Florida State University (B.A. from San Francisco State U), and have tossed about the idea of going for a doctorate simply because I love to read and write :). If only your blog had been around when I was studying for my comps ;)

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  15. I have a topic suggestion; Works with many allusions or references.

    Silverlock, by John Myers Myers, is one such novel. I committed literary suicide by writing a Florida version of Finnegans Wake. I kept the reading level low and made it more trivial, but this type book still has challenges. if Joyce had hyperlinks he may have gotten a following for Wake, but the modern reader is less patient. Pynchon may be the best model for success. I love your site and making a blog this professorial may help.

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  16. Oh, crap! Another unmissable blog for writers! Wouldn’t have found it if you hadn’t followed my own blog (“Belly-up!”), so thanks for the hours of procrastination. I’m supposed to be writing the sequel to my novel, but this blog is too interesting. And informative. And… and… vampires? Crap. I’ll be here all day.

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  17. Thank you for following my 19th century blog! I’m an early American specialist with interests in theater, so if you have any need for guest posts on either of those topics, I’d love to contribute.

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  18. I’m not sure if you accept awards, but I nominated this site for the Illuminating Blogger award simply to share who I’m following. However, think of the Illuminated manuscript tie-in you could do…. Thanks for your work!

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  19. I don’t know how you found my writings, but thank you very much for reading! I was just looking at your home page, and I was completely surprised that A Tale of Two Cities is the best-selling book in English. In fact, there were plenty of facts on your home page that I had no idea about. Thanks for providing such gems; I am a sucker for trivia!

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  20. Hi!
    Thank you for following my blog. :D I’m really happy you found me so that I can enjoy the various posts about books and writers you have here. Keep up the good work!

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  21. Hey! Thanks for the follow. I’ve been trying to get into reading great literary works whenever I have the time, and it’s great that I have something to guide me and help me pick out things I’ll be interested in.
    I just wanted to point out that you guys don’t have a search engine on your site, and I think it’ll come in handy if you had one because I wanted to see if you wrote an article on a writer/scientist named David Eagleman (I’d love to know what you think of him, I recommend his short story Descent of Species) but I didn’t know where to start.
    Looking forward to your next update!

    Reply
  22. Thank you for following my blog, Brainstorms: How Epilepsy and Writing Connect (maggiemendus.wordpress.com). Your blog is fascinating and I’ll be back to read more….and more.

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  23. Thanks for following my blog. I’ve only just started but lots to add over the next few weeks. My daughter keeps asking me to look after her daughter (2yo) and I can’t take my eyes of her. Not just because she’s beautiful, either.

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  24. Thank you so much for the follow! Thus I was able to find your blog as well, and this is exactly what I need. I feel from this moment on I will continually be pushing my glasses up my nose.

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  25. Hello, my friend, I love your blog!You have a nice blog up here. Well done! :-) Keep writing, all with love, and surely you will become another light in the heart of humanity. I am gladly following your blog because I am sure there will be many things I can learn from you about literature.

    Here, I would like to kindly thank you for following my blog. That is very kind of you. It is my mission to serve humanity through the written word. It is my aim to illuminate the World with my Light of Love. To do so, I write inspirational poetry and short stories and post them every Thursday. Please feel free to visit if you feel like inspiration. Take care and may the Light of Love perpetually shine in your heart, my friend. ♥

    Reply
  26. Hello, thank you for following my blog. And I follow yours now. Such an enlightment. I’ve been searching for this kind of blog that offers rich information about literature, classic or modern. I love your blog. Look forward to see your posts. Thanks.

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  27. Many thanks for following my blog and liking the posts so far. It is great to see your wonderful blog and the purpose behind it is refreshing and much needed. All the best.

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  28. This is indeed an amazing site; I’ve forwarded your url to colleagues still teaching undergraduates. Thank you for the “like” and the “follow.” I am returning the compliment.

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  29. Hi! Thank you for visiting and following my blog, I very much appreciate it.
    I love this site, its very interesting. Good luck with everything!
    Lorna xx

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  30. Thank you so much for liking my ‘Wondrous Strange’ post and for deciding to follow along. Your blog is terrific; I clicked the ‘Follow’ button with pleasure! JDB

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  31. Thank you for the like and follow on MARCO-DAVID | FOOD . will keep popping in to see your interesting facts! MD

    Reply
  32. Thanks for your like of Titus Andronicus and for following my blog. This is a really interesting blog which I’ll be coming back to again. I love your style and the information you put together – gives me new insights, which is the thing I love the most. Happy blogging!

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  33. What a lovely virtual library you have here to wander through and collect all manner of interestingness along the way. I suspect Holmes himself would appreciate such considered sleuthing.

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  34. I am glad to see a good literary blog that offers such interesting information in such a neat organization as yours. Thanks for wandering through my blog and finding something to appreciate. :)

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  35. You have an interesting blog. I shall have to explore it more.

    Thank you for choosing to follow one of my blogs. I hope you continue to enjoy the posts.

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  36. Fantastic blog! I wouldn’t have ‘seen’ you unless you had liked my post, so thank you for reading it. Thank you for the ‘follow’ too – you are my 100th follower!! ;) Looking forward to reading your archive and future posts.

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  37. Thank you for attending the semicircadian wonder-circus that is syntaxsinner. There will be six golden tickets sent out in Wonka bars, and, should you obtain one, you will win a tour of the illustrious brain of- nah, I’m just kidding. But I’ve noticed you have been reading and its appreciated, InterestingLiterature! :-D

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  38. Recently I posted about setting goals and one of these goals I would like to try is to read other genres besides the easy reads like paranomal, romance, mysteries, self help you get the point. So now that I have found your delightful blog I am pretty sure that I could dive into more meaningful and challenging literature. I am looking forward to your suggestions and reviews. My gratitude is yours, Allie.

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  39. Thank you for following my blog and liking my book reviews. Funny your blog mentioned Richard III because I just started re-reading it. Not actually discontented as I have a number of other books I have just started reading that may end up being reviewed.
    Non-fiction: Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs and Steel
    Palle Yourgrau’s The Forgotten Legacy of Godel and Einstein
    Fiction:

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  40. Comment was inadvertently sent before I finished the fiction books that I am reading and that will likely be reviewed on my blog.

    Fiction: Caleb Carr’s The Alienist
    Regina O’Melveney’s The Book of Madness and Cures

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  41. Hullo, thanks for following my blog, Novels Now. I set it up when I sold Mariah’s Marriage as it’s a novel and I had been writing drama and short stories. Although I write to entertain, I do have an Eng Lit and Lang degree and I see your blog is going to provide me with a lot of interesting Eng Lit type stuff. Looks like fun. Anne Stenhouse

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  42. Hello Interesting Literature folks! I’ve given you the Very Inspiring Blogger Award because you have lifted my spirits and given me awareness of things that I wouldn’t have found otherwise. It is wonderful to find intelligent and well researched commentary online. I hope you will consider this a big thank you and pay it forward to a blog that has been an inspiration to you. If you aren’t into this sort of thing, then just know that someone out here admires your work.

    http://synkroniciti.com/2013/07/08/the-very-inspiring-blogger-and-one-lovely-blog-awards/

    Yours,
    kat at synkroniciti

    Reply
  43. Thanks for visiting my blog, All The Worlds A Stage Uncovered. I see that James Joyce is part of your repertoire and I do have extensive experience in adapting sections of the work into theatre. When I have collected my thoughts from this trip, I would like to contribute to your most interesting library. I really respect your effort and commitment.

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  44. Thank you for helping me find your outstanding contribution to literature. I wrote my thesis about William Blake 40 years ago. The Internet and sites like yours would have been an outstanding help. I would love to contribute an article to your site; and I would like for you to contribute an article to mine–about William Blake, Childhood and the Impressionists, the Way, etc.

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  45. Thanks for finding and following my blog; it’s much appreciated. This is a wonderful site featuring lots of my favorite authors and topics. Looking forward to reading more!

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  46. Thanks for stopping by my blog – I’m glad to have discovered you! I’m an art historian in whose work literature plays a significant part, so if you’d ever like a ‘guest blog’ contribution (I’m a 19th-century specialist – French and English) I’d like to contribute.

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  47. Thanks for the “like” of my Farewell, My Lovely post and for following “What I Watched Last Night…” I must admit I’m a little surprised to have friends of literature reading my movie reviews, but I’m nonetheless flattered by the attention.

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  48. Thanks for following my blog. As an undergraduate classicist and lover of literature, I find your interestingness very interesting, and I am interested. I’ll be back.

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  49. Hello. What a great site. I would love to know if this is a custom layout or which template you chose. I just started an author blog, and this layout would work much better than what I’ve begun. Thank you for your time and thank you for following my blog.

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    • They’re using the “Ideation and Intent Theme”. Sadly, I can’t find a way to post links here. Oh and hey, that theme’s free to use :)

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    • Sorry for late reply. Yes, ‘Ideation and intent’ is the theme, and it’s free to use and should be among the list of available themes. I’d thoroughly recommend it – no customising is necessary as you can give your blog an individual feel without having to pay (as you do with others) :)

      Reply
  50. Thank you for visiting and following my blog “Musings of a Horse Mom.” Don’t know how literary it is, but glad you enjoy it enough to follow. … Looking forward to snooping around your domain too. :-)

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  51. your blog amazes me! i have an english lit BA and psychology MA and always hoped that one day i’d be able to combine the two, specifically mental health in literary characters/authors. anyway, LOVE LOVE your blog. will be following diligently.

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  52. Thank you for stopping by my blog as it led me to this interesting site. I’m in writing school with Jack Grapes Method Writing in Los Angeles and am having a great time exploring and experiencing writing so appreciate finding other writers.

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  53. Hi there, just popping by to say hello, and to let you know that we have a new site – http://www.dagdapublishing.co.uk

    If you want to receive future updates and poetry by new writers from us, please head to the new site, and click “Follow this blog” (You can do so by just liking a post in our blog (which is where the poetry is residing now), which then gives you the option to follow). We look forward to seeing you over there, and thank you for your support over the last year and a half. Here’s to the next chapter :)

    – Dagda Publishing

    Reply
  54. Wow, the research on your blog is very singular. I’m not an English or a history major, though I really, really wish I could be, and this blog proves once again that the two are intertwined. Stories? Society? They are all one!

    I look forward to reading more–and reading back–and I am grateful you stopped by to follow! (And just in case you are interested, I’ve got a book blog dedicated solely to a love of all things literary at Bookish Types.)

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    • Superb! Just followed your Bookish Types blog, which looks fantastic. A ‘scrapbook’ is a great way to formulate a blog! It’s a great forum for throwing in odds and ends from reading and random thoughts about books :)

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  55. Thanks for following my blog! I’m also glad that it allowed me to find yours. This looks like a fantastic literary blog and as a huge book nerd, I’m hoping to learn a lot from it :)

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  56. Thank you very much for following me and stopping by my blog: http://juandavidpoetry.wordpress.com/
    I find your site very interesting. I am not a PhD. professional, but rather a college student with a Literature degree, aspiring writer and journalist, who loves literature and grammar. If you’d ever like for me to contribute to your blog don’t hesitate to contact me or if you would like to post one of my posts in your blog or a link to my blog, feel free to contact me and I’d be more than happy to consent. Thank you! :) I shall include a link to your site on my blogroll.

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  57. Hello! I see you like my Ten Reasons Why I Blog. Someday I’ll put together Ten (or Five, I’m not sure how many yet) Reasons why I want to write a book. Or maybe X Reasons Why I Like to Read.

    Thanks for following. I appreciate your interest and I hope I can sustain it over time.

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  58. Nice! I like this, and thanks for visiting my blog, even though I’ve still made into something more political than literary. I find it difficult to focus on literature these days, in spite of my love for the written word.

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    Reply
  60. Thanks for following D’Artagnan! Since I’m having great fun messing around with literature and famous characters, this blog is a dream come true! My literary knowledge can only improve :)

    Reply
  61. Thank you so much for helping me find this blog. You had me at “interestingness.” I will be following you as well. Can’t take the time to read back posts until NaNoWriMo is over, but I’ll be back!

    Reply
  62. Thank you so much for following me at BigBodyBeautiful and by way of that, introducing me to this remarkable blog of yours. I have had the best time wandering around your posts and will follow you, gladly. I just love making new friends. Thanks for the connection, guys. Warm regards, BigLizzy

    Reply
  63. Great to find your blog (through you finding me! — Social networks WORK!) Looking forward to keeping an eye on your news! Thanks for the follow.

    Reply
  64. Hello there and thanks for being a follower of The Cabra Senior Library Blog this year. We are proud to announce that we have been shortlisted as a finalist in the Best Library/Librarian category of the 2013 Edublog Awards.

    Best Library/Librarian Blog vote now!
    As you are interested in our blog perhaps you’d like to take a few minutes to vote for us? Click on the link below or the badge to visit the voting page.

    http://edublogawards.com/2013awards/best-library-librarian-blog-2013/

    Thanks again for your wonderful support in 2013 and all the best for 2014.
    Regards,
    Stephen Bull

    Reply
  65. Thank you for following Stephanie Huesler. I love your quotes – and just about everything else on your site! Would you be interested / willing to write an interview with me, about my recently released novel, and the one released earlier this year? It would be great to network with you in that way! Just let me know what you think about it! Keep writing!

    Reply
  66. Thanks for the visit to my blog – and for connecting over “A Christmas Carol” at this auspicious and festive season of the year. Merry Christmas and joyous New Year to you and your lovely blog!

    Reply
  67. Thank you for following Petals Unfolding. May your life be enriched by the words and photos I post. My goal is to uplift, encourage, make one think, bring Love and Peace and JOY into this world, and to show that being different is not a “bad thing”.

    Welcome aboard! And again, thank you!

    Love,
    Lady Pinkrose

    Reply
  68. Hi Oliver. Thank you for following my blog. Given that I write about animal activism I can only assume that you too care about animal welfare? There are many other topics that interest me so I look forward to reading your future posts. All the best.

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  69. Hi Oliver. Thanks so much for following my blog: Words and Wanderings. Your blog is fantastic — just the kind of blog I like to read! I look forward to reading more of it.

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  70. Thanks for following my blog, I am currently researching the historical and literary background of people living on the edge of society in ‘alternative homes’ Any literary references would be welcome.

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  71. Thank you for liking my post and following my blog! You have a fantastic site here that I can’t wait to explore. Thanks again!

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  72. Great information! So much I don’t know where to start ;=) I’m a part of a book club so I will be back soon… perhaps I can find something good to add to the club. Thanks for sharing.

    LaTrice

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  73. Hi! Thanks a ton for following my “Randa Lane…” haiku blog. Your own blog is so jam-packed with, as you call it, “interestingness” that I am now following it with delight! Drop in to read and comment on my haiku any time you wish. I’ll leave a light on for you!

    Ron — http://randalane.wordpress.com

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  74. First off, thank you for stopping by my blog, Localista, partly because it is always gratifying when new people show up and like something and mostly because…it led me to YOUR blog which I am going to love exploring. I’ve actually been reading Ethan Frome the last couple of weeks. I’ve been dipping into Wharton just a few pages at a time, savoring it, because I just love the pace and the observations and the characters and the irony. I will definitely read the current post about Wharton with pleasure.

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  75. Hello ad welcome – thanks for deciding to follow my blog – I obviously will need to follow you as you have some really great things about literature… btw – I work opp Baker Street and get very annoyed by all the tourists who stop to photograph a. the tiles within the station and b. the statue outside of Sherlock Holmes as I am trying to commute… especially as the pavement is narrow there! That said, we are loving the Cumberbatch interpretation!

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  76. Thank you so much for visiting and following my blog. You have a very ‘interesting’ blog yourself that I feel I will enjoy reading a lot. I will check up on your posts soon. Have a great Sunday! :)

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  77. I love the recent quotes that you’ve uploaded! They’re so thought-provoking and inspiring. Thank you for sharing with us these amazing good reads as well. I absolutely love a dose of literature, but my language in that is pretty limited. It’s a shame, really. Otherwise, I’d have taken up literature!! Oh well, I hope to learn more about literature from your blog. Thank you so much for the follow & I’m looking forward to see more of your recommendations and works!! :) x

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  78. Glad you liked my review of Lydia Millet’s novel “Magnificence”. I will soon finish Anne Enright’s short story collection “Yesterday’s Weather”. The pantheon of accomplished Irish writers seems infinite. I liked your post about St. Valentine’s Day. I will not show it to my wife, because I think I have finally convinced her that it is a Hallmark holiday.

    Reply
  79. Hi, I wanted to thank you for the follow! Please be aware that my blog is a bilingual one. So you may get links to some poems in English as well as to some in Italian… Pictures, on the other hand, have no language barriers ;-)
    Keep up the good work, you’ve got a great interesting site here.
    Anna

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  80. Thank you for following my blog and allowing me to come across your site. I really enjoy history and learning new things about the past, future and present so thank you, thank you for your posts with your insight, knowledge and offering to share it! :)

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  81. My goodness. Thank you for temporarily lowering your brow in order to Follow my blog The Last Half! I’m just going to stay quietly down here in its… (hang on…one can’t say “murky depths” if the blog is by nature shallow…) …quietly down here in its shallow slough, posting sporadically as I is my wont, and hope you don’t suddenly awaken and reverse your decision.

    (and she silently crept away.)

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  82. Hello there, Doctor!
    Thanks for visiting / following my blog as well. I’m brand new to this game, so any insights would be appreciated.
    Very much enjoyed your “quickies.”
    Steve

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  83. Sounds great! I’ll read more carefully when I get back to your blog. I may be able to critique some books if you are still open to guest posts?
    You can see my reviews on goodreads on my blog. ;-)

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  84. Thanks for the follow :) Just to let you know, I’m happy to take requests for poetry/literature analysis if you’re interested. Love the blog, looking forward to looking around more. CC x

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  85. This is a book-lover’s paradise. Thank you for ‘liking’ my post and following me, so I could find you. This will be a great source and resource. Thank you for the hard work you put into all your writing.

    Reply
  86. I want to say a belated “thank you” for following “A Way With Words.” I find great joy in writing that is only surpassed when someone reads what I’ve written. As you’ll see, I write primarily about faith and mental illness, but I’m known to cover other topics on occasion as well as share a few stories (fiction and non-fiction), so if you have any suggestions, just let me know.

    I greatly appreciate your effort to highlight quality literature on your blog here. I look forward to reading more in the days ahead.

    Gratefully,
    Tony Roberts

    Reply
  87. Hi Oliver, I think your site’s got beautiful design and such interesting pieces, so I’m following! :)
    I really enjoy your posts and look forward to your next.
    Feel free to check out my writing about publishing: publishinginsights.org
    Sherry

    Reply
  88. This site is awesome, love the content! Please keep it up and drop by my blog if you have a chance. Would love to know what you think of my book reviews (not many yet), as I’d be very interested in contributing at some point in the near future. Might get an email from me soon. Cheers!

    Reply
  89. Firstly, thank you for your “Like” of my post on A Confederacy of Dunces, and your follow of “Crumpled Paper Cranes”. That was my first time particularly posting anything on an actual book. It has encouraged me to write more. I love your website, the informative and entertaining posts, as well as multiple opportunities you offer to get involved. I look forward to more posts from Interesting Literature!

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  90. Dr. Tearle: thank you for what you’re doing. Unlike criticism technicians whose principal aim it is to reduce literature to a manageable raw material, you clearly understand that the life of books has always thrived on gossip. Thank you again.

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  91. It’s refreshing to come across a site which champions, inter alia, ghostly and supernatural tales with an appreciation of the terrors lurking in the imagination, where gore and blunt force sit way back in the auditorium.

    Reply
  92. It’s quite interesting to know intriguing stories about your favourite author.Reades are always curious to know what prompted these writeres to write stories and novels.

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  93. I’ve followed Interesting Literature since I strated my blog two years ago and have read and loved so many of the posts. So much on here that’s little known or unusual, intriguing or just plain odd. I’m not surprised QI was part of your inspiration – your site is the literary equivalent.
    Thanks so much for the follow – it’s a badge of honour as far as I’m concerned.

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    • Thank you, Lynn – I’m only sorry it’s taken us so long to follow you back! We can’t think of a higher honour than being considered the literary equivalent of QI, so it’s very heartening to hear you say that. We’ll keep seeking out the obscure and the interesting (plenty more in the pipeline right now!), so thank you for your continued support :)

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  94. Hello out there! I hope this finds you doing well.

    I see you have been a follower of “A Way With Words.” Great! Thank you.

    We have now transformed into, “Delight in Disorder: Faith & Mental Illness” (delightindisorder.org). I hope you will join us there. On the left sidebar, there is a box (below “Get More Delight”) for subscriptions so you can get the most of our mission.

    Take care & God bless,
    Tony

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  95. Wow! I’ve just spent a hour or so reading some of the posts from the past couple of years. I admire the variety of pieces and astounding number of posts you’ve generated over the years–and appreciate the concision. Unless it comes naturally to you, it takes longer to write a 500 word post than a 1500 word one, but the reader may be best served when the author takes that time.

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    • Thank you! Yes, it certainly takes a while to achieve conciseness – I forget who it was who said, ‘Sorry this letter is so long, but I didn’t have time to make it shorter’, but blogging reminds me of that a lot of the time! It’s great fun to research these posts and share what we uncover/think about them though :)

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  96. Oliver, I love this website and you are doing a wonderful job in leading people to interesting literature. You don’t know me, I’m sure, but I was voted “Inspirational Online Children’s Poet in 2007” by children in 133 countries. Encouraged by local children, I’ve written about 1,500 new poems not only for children but for people of all ages. I’d love people to see them as they are freely available: Google JOSIE’S POEMS. 400 were published in 2010 by an educational publisher.

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  97. A fascinating find (via Radio 3 this evening “Words and Music” which featured ‘Sailing to Byzantium’ and for which you wrote a salient and sensitive analysis.) Everything is connected! Sue Heywood

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  98. I appreciate the work you are doing. Bringing back some of our classics and some of the lesser known masterpieces. Keep up the good work.

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  99. Thanks for your recent article about the poems of William Blake. As I was reading, I went back in time to 1967 when I was lucky enough to study Blake at the Univ of London with a young professor named Michael Phillips. You saw London in a different way after you read Blake. Again, thanks.

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    • Thanks, Tim, and I couldn’t agree more about your comment about London. Blake’s one of those poets who really does make you alter the way you view things. I can never see a tiger without recalling his powerful lines for the same reason!

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  100. I was looking for the origin of using “friended” instead of “befriended” because I came across it in Wolfe’s “Look Homeward Angel” (sorry, I don’t know how to underline) and wanted to see if he startd the whole trend or if Facebook borrowed it from him. I also came across multiplex in this same book. I’m sure there’ll be more. I’m only on page 68.
    Thanks for the “unfriend” info. It answers the question.

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