Dante’s “Inferno:” Nightmare Fuel | Simone Southers

Fantasizing about reading classic literature was (and still is) one of my favorite pastimes. So, when I got the opportunity to read works like Homer’s Illiad and Dante Alighieri’s Inferno with Professor Merkel, you could say that the dark academia wannabe in me was excited. Reading works like these were required for a class called “The Devil, the Hero, and God” which looked at literature that had these interactions.

Books To Add To Your Holiday Wish-List

The holidays are coming up– this is the perfect opportunity to expand your book collection and treat yourself to some new reads. Whether you are looking for an emotionally gripping book, captivating poetry, or a purely self-indulgent read, this list has the perfect story for you.

Fiction and Non-fiction Essays

The following recommendations are a collection of essays or feature elements of essay writing in their composition.

The Brilliance of “Taxi Driver” (1976) | Peter Lujan (’23)

Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver is a film that changed my life. When people talk about the magic of cinema it is almost impossible to define. I think that you know it when you see it though. That could not be more the case than with Taxi Driver. This film has tremendously guided my personal work, as I plan on writing and directing feature films for the rest of my life.

Battling Burnout | Katie Davis (’26)

The digital sphere has recently erupted with stories detailing young adults’ experiences with burnout. From blog posts to Instagram stories, many people have begun coming forward with stories of how they slid into burnout, all of which tend to follow a similar pattern. 

Many testimonies begin with a high-achieving person, more often than not a woman, who begins by talking about her seemingly perfect life before developing burnout.

Why English? | Katie Davis (’26)

While I would love to tell a story about how I have known since birth that I would study literature and that I have had a career plan for years leading up to this moment, in reality, I chose to major in English on the day of fall registration. Even though I have always loved reading and telling stories, I went through school fully intending to major in vocal music education in spite of a history of voracious reading.