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The Canterbury Commute
Verses composed in Middle English while waiting for the 7:42 train
Apr 29
•
Colin Gorrie
181
29
10
Why you should read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
This spring’s book club pick
Apr 15
•
Colin Gorrie
212
19
13
A bluffer’s guide to etymology
How to guess the age and origin of any English word
Apr 8
•
Colin Gorrie
144
6
11
The age when English could do anything
And why we wouldn't have Shakespeare without it
Mar 25
•
Colin Gorrie
90
7
12
No, Shakespeare didn’t invent those words
Bias, evidence, and the Oxford English Dictionary
Mar 18
•
Colin Gorrie
245
19
26
Scots, English, and the linguistic uncanny valley
English’s fascination with its closest cousin
Jan 21
•
Colin Gorrie
170
31
12
The ancient poetic law that explains basically everything
From Sanskrit grammar to nursery rhymes
Aug 16, 2025
•
Colin Gorrie
226
18
23
Is Beowulf based on true events?
The real history behind the poem
Aug 13, 2025
•
Colin Gorrie
136
52
15
The case for Middle English
It’s not just The Canterbury Tales
Aug 6, 2025
•
Colin Gorrie
180
22
18
How to get started with Old English poetry
Five poems to read that aren’t Beowulf
Jul 2, 2025
•
Colin Gorrie
148
24
16
Don’t read Heaney’s Beowulf
The cost of a beautiful translation
May 28, 2025
•
Colin Gorrie
375
103
45
Never trust your father's brother
Evil uncles from Beowulf to The Lion King
Apr 30, 2025
•
Colin Gorrie
99
5
9
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