To the editor: “English is a phonetic language,” states a letter writer who taught reading — but, I must add, only to a point. Just a brief look at the previous sentence will show numerous exceptions ...

THE plot of a short story in many instances is quite openly a projection of character. In a highly specialized instance, but a good example, the whole series of ghostly events in The Turn of the Screw ...

There are a lot of things that have improved over the past 50 years, but are still far from perfect: Car safety. Solar power uptake. Scores of medical procedures. Add reading comprehension instruction ...

Editor’s Note: A Southerner born in Jackson, Mississippi, and educated at the Mississippi State College for Women, the University of Wisconsin, and Columbia, EUDORA WELTY is one of the most versatile ...