Mental Floss

BOOKS

Warner Home Video

'The Wizard of Oz' is an often-imitated but never-duplicated cinematic treasure that remains an integral part of childhood 80 years after it first enchanted audiences in theaters.

Sarene Leeds
















Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Henry David Thoreau’s account of his time in the woods is much more than just fodder for motivational posters—it’s a work of transcendentalist philosophy that shaped how people see the natural world today.

Joy Lanzendorfer
Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, and John Hurt in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011).

In literature, 'canon' refers to source material that establishes the characters, relationships, and events of a fictional universe. 'Headcanon,' however, describes fans’ imagined explanations for what happens between the lines, or off the page entirely.

Roma Panganiban


Hulton Archive/Getty Images

More than 200 years after her death, English novelist Jane Austen continues to be celebrated for her sharp, biting prose on love's various entanglements.

Jake Rossen


BBC

Anyone who has ever read Jane Austen’s 'Pride and Prejudice' has surely conjured up their own idea of what Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy would look like in real life. But a couple of academics and one illustrator are here to dash your dreams.

Jennifer M Wood