Encounters with great art can be absorbing, unsettling and even painful. How has this been tamed into ‘reading for pleasure’, asks Charlotte Higgins, the Guardian’s chief culture writer ...

Discover the practical origins of romantic clichés like roses, chocolate, and candlelight, and how they evolved into symbolic love gestures worldwide.

Dear Reader, I was greatly chuffed to chance upon the work of the graphic novelist, musician, illustrator, and cartoonist ...