Literary beef

Did you know that Shakespeare held grudges?

Image: Kelly Sikkema

We sometimes fail to remember that literary geniuses are still human and driven by the same impulses that move ordinary people. No matter their style or ideologies, sometimes their motivations are simple: affection for their friends and disdain for their enemies. More than a few literary masterpieces have been influenced in some way by these passions, even if the final result was a work of art. Here are ten rivalries and friendships that left their mark on literature!

Image: Pierre Bamin

The Romantics were known for being dramatic and capricious, and Lord Byron was not an exception. Between his many feuds, he had a particular rivalry with John Keats. Keats despised Byron because of his charisma, nobility, and general snobbery, and Byron despised Keats because he was a struggling, middle-class poet.

After Keats’ death due to tuberculosis, other writers claimed that negative literary critiques had taken a toll on his already fragile health. Byron publicly lamented Keats’ passing, but he later mentioned him in his Don Juan as someone "who was kill'd off by one critique".

Image: Annie Spratt

A key figure of the Modernist movement, T. S. Eliot is known for both his literary works and his critical essays. His poem The Waste Land is considered one of the most important literary works of the 20th century, and has served as inspiration for countless authors.

What many people don’t know is that The Waste Land would have looked very different if not for the influence of another writer, Ezra Pound. A mentor and friend to Eliot, Pound was given ample liberty to edit the first draft, so much so that Eliot considered him to be ‘the mother’ of the poem. The Waste Land is dedicated to Pound, whom Eliot calls il miglior fabbro or ‘the best craftsman.’

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We might think of Shakespeare as one of the greatest literary minds in history, but the Bard had his fair share of detractors in his time. One of the best-known cases is his feud with the writer Robert Greene, who called him "an upstart crow, beautified in our feathers," accusing him of plagiarism and of being bombastic in his writing.

Shakespeare’s answer was twofold: He first wrote Titus Andronicus, one of the goriest, most over-the-top plays of the time. Then, he wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which is plagued with references to several well-known classical authors.

Image: Alexander Grey

All of Jane Austen's novels are filled with pointed social commentary and critiques, but Northanger Abbey stands out for also being a satire of a popular genre of that time: the Gothic novel.

But Austen was not happy with making a parody of the genre. She called out by name several Gothic novels and authors, making it clear that these works were harmful for the readers, especially young, impressionable girls without world experience.

Image: Mick Haupt

The first part of The Quixote was an instant success upon publication. After a few years without a second part, an opportunist published a sequel under the pseudonym ‘Avellaneda’, something Cervantes was not happy about.

Cervantes then penned a continuation in record time, making clear to the readers that Avellaneda’s work was not part of the original story. How did he accomplish this? By having Don Quixote himself talk about Avellaneda’s work and how it was a poor representation of his character. To ensure it wouldn’t happen again, the story ended with the death of Don Quixote.

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Another key figure in Modernist poetry, E.E. Cummings wrote over two thousand poems in his lifetime, on top of several theater plays. Although he had published several books, in the 1930s, one of his poem collections kept being rejected by editors.

After 14 rejections, Cummings decided to self-publish the book with his mother’s help. The chosen title, No Thanks, was his ironic response to the editors, to whom he dedicated the book. All fourteen editors appear in the dedication, their names forming the shape of a funeral urn.

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The Spanish literary scene of the 17th century was filled with geniuses, who for the most part couldn’t stand each other. Luis de Góngora and Francisco de Quevedo were two of the most important poets of the time, and they were sworn enemies due to their adherence to opposite poetry styles.

Their literary and personal differences often resulted in satirical poems filled with insults, mocking each other’s writing styles, and resorting to direct attacks about physical characteristics, such as Gongora’s big nose or Quevedo’s limp.

Image: Joshua J. Cotten

To Kill a Mockingbird has often been called one of the Great American novels, garnering critical acclaim and several prizes. Its author, Harper Lee, was from the Southern U.S., and her personal experiences appear throughout the novel.

Not everyone knows about her childhood friendship with Truman Capote, one that they maintained well into adulthood, with Lee even including Capote in her novel. Although she never confirmed it, it is widely believed that Capote was the inspiration for Dill Harris.

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The first Romantic poets, Wordsworth and Coleridge, were the start of a literary movement that wouldn’t have been possible without friendship. Meeting by chance, they created a bond so strong that Coleridge moved to be close to Wordsworth and his family.

Out of their friendship and common literary ideals, they decided to write together the Lyrical Ballads, a book that is considered the starting point of Romanticism. Sadly, their views started diverging later in life, which created a rift between them.

Image: Ed Robertson

The 18th century was a great time for the English novel, and it saw the emergence of many authors who are now considered essential to the genre. But like with any era where great minds abound, these geniuses were not necessarily cordial with each other. Henry Fielding, prone to satirical, realistic writing, was not fond of Samuel Richardson, who wrote more sentimental, moralistic novels.

After the publication of Richardson’s Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, Fielding decided to write his own version of the story, titled Shamela (the full title was An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews). In it, he told the "true" story of Pamela, parodying Richardson and the morals he preached.

What’s the word for…?

An assortment of "thingies": Few people can name these everyday objects

Image: Sitthan Kutty

Have you ever found yourself pointing at something mid-conversation because you couldn’t name it? Or have you caught yourself calling it "thingy"? You wouldn’t be the first. Some very specific nouns exist that few people are familiar with, so they are seldom used. Read the full list and see how many of them you were already using correctly!

Image: Thea May Villas

Have you ever closed your eyes and noticed strange figments of light dancing before them? Possibly, we all have! They are "phosphenes". These visual sensations happen when pressure stimulates the retina, even in the absence of light.

Image: Irene Kredenets

The aglet is that little plastic or metal tip at the end of your shoelace. Its only job is to stop the lace from fraying and to help it slide easily through the eyelets. Its name derives from Old French, when aguilette meant "needle" or "pin."

Image: Ursula Gamez

How many parts of a fork can you name? There’s the handle, of course, and then the forking, spiked end. Those "prongs" have a correct name: tines.

Image: Andriyko Podilnyk

You know that smooth patch of skin between your eyebrows, where worry lines eventually meet? That’s your glabella. It’s the name of the underlying bone. It derives from the Latin glaber, which means "smooth" or "hairless."

Image: Jeremy Bishop

"Pinky" might work, but there is actually a correct term for it: The smallest finger, a.k.a the fifth digit, is called "minimus," its proper Latin name.

Image: Danielle Suijkerbuijk

Before you pop open a bottle of champagne, you’ll need to deal with the agraffe—that little wire cage around the cork. Its job is to keep the cork in place despite the bubbling pressure inside the bottle. Another name for it is "muselet."

Image: Tom Morbey

It sounds like some fictional character, but purlicue is the name for the space between your thumb and forefinger. When you're holding a pen, gripping a mug, or giving a thumbs-up, your purlicue is doing the support work.

Image: Ximena Mora

Look closely at your fingernails and you might spot a small, pale crescent shape near the base. That’s the lunule, which comes from the Latin for "little moon." It’s most visible on the thumbs and plays a role in nail growth.

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You know that earthy, comforting smell after a fresh rain. Science has proved there is a particular scent generated when rain hits dry soil. It comes from plant oils, bacteria, and a compound called geosmin.

Image: j.mt_photography

The peen is the rounded or wedge-shaped part on the opposite side of a hammer’s face. It's used for shaping metal or riveting, depending on the hammer type.

Image: Michelle Riach

Some people like the foam on top of a beer, some consider it just an aesthetic obstacle. That foamy top has a name, though: barm. In ye olden times, this froth was used as a fermenting agent in baking.

Image: Miguel Á. Padriñán

You would probably refer to the whole end-tip of a pencil as the "eraser," but that would mean ignoring the ferrule. That’s the name for the metal ring holding the eraser in place. Pencils didn’t always include that commodity: the brilliant idea of pencil-and-eraser combined began being sold in the 1900s.

Image: Kelly Sikkema

That little cardboard sleeve around your hot coffee cup has a name: zarf. Originally, zarfs were ornate metal holders for coffee cups in the Middle East. Today’s version is a little less glamorous but no less essential for saving fingers on the go.

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The tiny tripod inside your pizza box is often called a "pizza saver," but another word for it is "tent." It’s there to stop the lid from squashing the toppings underneath, especially when you stack the pizza boxes together.