Sometimes small changes yield great happiness. Dr. Kalpakgian considers what literary characters can teach about finding the missing element in our lives.

In a world in want of common sense, Mitchell Kalpakgian finds priceless lessons in Pinocchio to teach our children how to live virtuous and rewarding lives.

Why should we study the classics and develop noble thoughts? Dr. Mitchell Kalpakgian explores the essential role of literature in character formation.

Robin Hood's story has been often retold, but Dr Mitchell Kalpakgian digs into his original character, and uncovers the ideal of a good and joyous heart.

Inspired by the epic of Aeneas, survivor of the Trojan War and father of Rome, Dr. Mitchell Kalpakgian shows how tears and tragedy can deepen our humanity.

Dr Mitchell Kalpakgian dips into Caryll Houselander for seasonal inspiration on Christmas, and shows why it's a crucial time of rest and play.

by Dr Mitchell Kalpakgian | As Dante the pilgrim travels... God appoints him two guides: the epic poet Virgil, and Beatrice, the symbol of divine grace.

by Dr Mitchell Kalpakgian | In Sophocles’ Greek tragedy Antigone, the heroine is neither a great warrior nor a powerful ruler but the humble daughter and servant ...

by Dr Mitchell Kalpakgian | Robin Hood and his band of loyal yeomen who lived in the greenwood of Sherwood Forest enjoyed “the merriest of merry lives” in the days of Henry II and Richard the Lionhearted, a period in medieval history celebrated as “merry old England.”

by Dr Mitchell Kalpakgian | Bilbo, a simple hobbit who enjoys the contentment of his modest home and its cozy comforts, has no great aspirations, seeks no glorious adventures, and has no fantasies about a more perfect life.

This article is part of a series on Favorite Characters in Literature. We hope that it may inspire children and adults alike to become acquainted, or re-acquainted, with some of ...

by Dr. Mitchell Kalpakgian | Although Dr. Samuel Johnson is not a fictional character in a novel, he is the subject of a great biography. The preeminent man of letters in the eighteenth century, Dr. Johnson accomplished extraordinary feats of writing.

In George Macdonald’s children’s classic 'The Princess and the Goblin', Princess Irene meets a grandmother when she goes exploring...

by Dr. Mitchell Kalpakgian | John (Jack), the younger brother, has been selected for one of the roles while his older brother Henry (Harry) attends his younger brother’s debut as an actor. However, more than one drama is occurring on the stage that night.

by Dr Mitchell Kalpakgian | All good parents are teachers, and all good teachers have the virtues of good parents. in 'Little Men', the founders of Plumfield Academy, Father and Mother Bhaer incorporate all the virtues of family life into their school and govern with both motherly love and fatherly discipline.

by Dr. Mitchell Kalpakgian | In George Macdonald’s children’s classic of fantasy literature' 'At the Back of the North Wind', Diamond travels to the back of the North Wind where he receives heavenly glimpses of a beautiful, pure world of abounding joy, laughter, and mirth.

by Dr. Mitchell Kalpakgian | Cordelia, however, cannot lower herself to pretend, dissemble, or exaggerate. Her simple answer to her father’s request for a proof of love is the simple, eloquent, honest truth:

by Dr. Mitchell Kalpakgian | Don Quixote one day feels inspired to emulate the knights of old and restore the ideals of chivalry, honor, truth, courtesy, and service that his own age has relegated to the past.

by Dr Mitchell Kalpakgian | A “proper match/marriage” meant a gain in a woman’s economic status and social respectability. She no longer had to feel financially dependent on her family or embarrassed by the stigma of old maid.

by Dr. Mitchell Kalpakgian | Father Brown is never fooled—either by appearances, theories, half-truths, or disguises. He is not fooled because he uses both faith and reason in his thinking while others attempt...