MLN in the New Millenium

MLN, founded at Johns Hopkins University in 1886 as Modern Language Notes, is one of the oldest journals of literary scholarship in the United States. This article sketches the history of MLN and reflects on the evolution of academic publishing from the end of the nineteenth century to the present. It concludes with a discussion of current challenges in publishing, most notably reduced submission volume, the shortage of peer reviewers, funding cuts, and disruptions caused by generative AI.