Aristocracy in America
Huckleberry Finn shows that a nation devoted to fresh starts will also invite false starts and upstarts. Book Review
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A Riddle Wrapped in an Enigma
Jonathan Swift was one of the most secretive men who ever lived, the Howard Hughes of 18th-century Britain. Given how well-known his name is today, it comes as a surprise to learn that most of his writings were initially published anonymously. Book Review
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The Case for Barbarism
Ordinary life improves when empire falls. Book Review
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Ink-Stained Genius
Writing a biography of Charles Dickens is not an enviable task. It is much like trying to paint a portrait of Rembrandt—the Dutchman already did such a good job himself. Book Review
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Postmodern Prophet: Tocqueville Visits Vegas
If in the year 2000 Alexis de Tocqueville could somehow be given the opportunity to revisit the United States, he would be gratified to see how many of his observations concerning the country had proven to be correct. Essay
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Epic Decision: From Homer to Milton
Epic decisions shape cultures. Why does Milton have the Christian epic decision be one that rejects God? Essay
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Olympics of the Mind
Why were the Greeks the most competitive people in history? A profound examination of psychology and philosophy of ancients and moderns. Essay
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Northern Eye
It sounds like a Saturday Night Live sketch when you first hear about it. Steve Martin— the Steve Martin—is curating a museum exhibition of works by a supposedly famous Canadian painter you've never heard of. Essay
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Shakespeare's Rome: Republic and Empire
In Shakespeare’s Rome, Cantor examines the political settings of Shakespeare’s Roman plays, Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra, with references as well to Julius Caesar. Book
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Dark Side of the American Dream
Applying the critical skills he developed as a Shakespeare scholar, Paul A. Cantor finds new depth in familiar landmarks of popular culture. Video
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Shakespeare's Roman Trilogy: The Twilight of the Ancient World
Cantor analyzes the way Shakespeare chronicles the rise and fall of the Roman Republic and the emergence of the Roman Empire. Book
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Hyperinflation and Hyperreality: Thomas Mann in Light of Austrian Economics
With the worldwide collapse of socialism as an economic system, Marxism today stands thoroughly discredited as an intellectual position. Essay
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Beavis and Butt-Head Take Over Silicon Valley
With Beavis and Butt-head and King of the Hill, Mike Judge earned his place in pop culture history. His new HBO comedy Silicon Valley seems an unlikely follow-up to his earlier successes. Essay
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Inviting Evil In: Horror Stories and the Monstrous Double
From a vampire slinking through a dark forest, to the deformed creation of mad science, to a lumbering dinosaur in central London, to a radioactive mutation marching on Tokyo, to a reanimated mummy scheming to take over the world, to a giant ape atop the Empire State Building—we have met the monsters, and they are us. Essay
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Hamlet
Paul Cantor provides a new and clearly structured introduction and groundbreaking analysis of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy. Book
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Literature and the Economics of Liberty
The book argues that literature is one of the most powerful reflections of humanity's freedom, spontaneity, and creativity. Book
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Gilligan Unbound: Pop Culture in the Age of Globalization
In Gilligan Unbound, a distinguished Shakespeare scholar and literary critic proves once and for all that popular culture can be every bit as complex, meaningful, and provocative as the most celebrated works of literature-and a lot more fun. Book
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Invisible Hand in Popular Culture
In this groundbreaking work, Paul A. Cantor explores the ways in which television shows such as Star Trek, The X-Files, South Park, and Deadwood and films such as The Aviator and Mars Attacks! have portrayed both top-down and bottom-up models of order. Books
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Creature and Creator: Myth-making and English Romanticism
This book is the first systematic study of the creation myth as a Romantic form. Book
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