Joan of Arc dared to take on the traditionally masculine role of soldier and commander. In her day, everyone wondered: Was she holy—a saint, a sacred being, a vessel of enlightenment—or merely a woman? Four centuries later, the Globe is asking the same question. (The Atlantic)
Atlantic
I’m The Driver Now
Thirty-seven, I decided, was old enough. Even here in Britain, that is an advanced age to begin learning to drive, but somehow, I had never gotten around to it. And so I found myself, one morning last fall, trying to master the exact sequence of foot movements required to hit something called “biting point.” (The Atlantic)
How Social Justice Became A New Religion
A quick question. If someone is yelling “repent” at you in the street, are they more likely to be (a) a religious preacher or (b) a left-wing activist? (The Atlantic)
The British Right Doesn’t Want to Hear Doubts
This is a long, hot summer in Britain, and 150,000 people are choosing our next prime minister. (The Atlantic)
Jane Austen’s Persuasion Meets the Girlboss Era
This Persuasion has turned its heroine, Anne Elliot, from a quiet, melancholic presence to a klutzy Fleabag clone. (The Atlantic)
Here Lies Boris Johnson
"Watching someone take the slow train to an obvious conclusion is always frustrating. Yesterday afternoon, the Conservative politician Sajid Javid stood up in the British Parliament to criticize his party leader, Boris Johnson, for being careless with the truth." {The Atlantic)
The Wagatha Christie Trial
"Coleen Rooney represents the classic approach to fame, in which you must zealously guard your privacy. In contrast, Rebekah Vardy is an avatar of a made-for-Instagram world, in which you are a fool if you do not monetize your personal life." (The Atlantic)
The Shadow Royals
One peculiarity of European aristocrats is that their names pile up, like snowdrifts. It’s lunchtime in Tirana, the capital of Albania, and I am about to meet Leka Anwar Zog Reza Baudouin Msiziwe Zogu, crown prince of the Albanians. (The Atlantic)
The Twitching Generation
Is this the first illness spread by social media? (The Atlantic)
Two Years is Long Enough
"I am desperate for a party. So desperate I would attend an enemy’s book launch. So desperate I would attend an improv-comedy night. So desperate I would see an amateur production of Shakespeare." (The Atlantic)