What if we've been misunderstanding monsters?
11 min
Forget the warnings: defying mortality can be a morally appropriate goal. Stories about immortality are present in many cultures throughout time. How cultures perceive immortality, as a blessing or a curse, can differ widely. Livia Gershon explores how, unlike Gothic European literature, Taoism-inspired Chinese stories don’t present immortality as an essentially lonely state, but something much more profound.