Listicles, tweets, your ex’s Facebook status, picture of dogs wearing costumes — the internet offers no shortage of entertaining stuff to look at. But there’s plenty of substantial writing out there, too, the pieces you spend a few minutes reading and a long time thinking about after you’ve closed the tab. In this weekly feature, Flavorwire shares the best of that category. This time around: Helen DeWitt’s diary entry, the history of pants, the weird history of the heroes in a half shell, and more.
“Diary” by Helen DeWitt, London Review of Books
“To the untutored eye E was a lackadaisical perfectionist with an amiable labrador and a taste for Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. He had a horror of shoddy workmanship; what he did, he did well – in his own good time.” E is/was also a stalker. This piece by DeWitt will chill you to the bone.
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The title pretty much speaks for itself, but this is really one of those interviews between two great authors that you absolutely have to read.
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“Grand Army Rebrands the United States Postal Service” by Melissa Mazzoleni, Print
The Postal Service wanted to rebrand. This fascinating interview with the creative agency that helped spearhead the process gives some interesting insight into how to go about changing the face of one of the most well-known institutions in the country.
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Since we’re all yelling “Turtle power!” again, this video can get you up to speed on the history of the heroes in a half shell, so you can act like you’ve known all along.
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“Wearing the Pants: A Brief Western History of Pants” by Kathleen Cooper, The Toast
You might not think to yourself that you need to read a history on pants. Then you realize that The Toast published this, and that fact alone alone makes reading this downright necessary.