Essays Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

All Essays

Richard Rorty’s Legacy: Criticizing His Critics
Part of a LARB forum in which philosophers reflect on the legacy of Richard Rorty.
María Pía LaraJul 22, 2017
- Philosophy & Religion
A Journey with Rorty: 1986–2017
Part of a LARB forum in which philosophers reflect on the legacy of Richard Rorty.
Marianne JanackJul 22, 2017
- Philosophy & Religion
Richard Rorty: Life, Pragmatism, and Conversational Philosophy
Part of a LARB forum in which philosophers reflect on the legacy of Richard Rorty.
Santiago ZabalaJul 22, 2017
- Education
- Philosophy & Religion
The Uses of Beauty: On “Daughters of the Dust” and Diasporic Inheritance
The Sea Islands might seem like a small place. But every point in diaspora is the cutting edge if you have the nerve to touch it.
Carina del Valle SchorskeJul 21, 2017
- Cultural Studies
- Film
Game of Thrones: Season 7, "Dragonstone"
Soup, Poop, and Climate Change
Aaron Bady, Sarah MesleJul 17, 2017
- Dear Television
Will You Be as Gods?
Jordan Brower on how HBO's "Silicon Valley" approaches the myth of the individual genius.
Jordan BrowerJul 17, 2017
- Science & Technology
- Television
Is Cultural Appropriation Ever Appropriate?
Arthur Krystal on cultural appropriation.
Arthur KrystalJul 15, 2017
- Politics
Yawn with the Wind
"The Beguiled" is a movie about bored white women in rigorous pursuit of fantasy.
Sam HuberJul 14, 2017
- Film
Privatizing the Putin Presidency
The Celluloid Liberation Front on Oliver Stone's "The Putin Interviews" and how it feeds the myth of Vladimir Putin.
Celluloid Liberation FrontJul 13, 2017
Fiery Heaven, Bastard Earth: The Cosmology of “Game of Thrones”
Jedediah Purdy on why the pleasures of "A Song of Ice and Fire" aren't just narrative and political, but also cosmological.
Jedediah PurdyJul 13, 2017
- Television
The Judgment of Rebecca West
James Thomas Snyder celebrates Rebecca West’s classic “Black Lamb and Grey Falcon.”
James Thomas SnyderJul 12, 2017
- Around the World
- Politics
When Progress Ebbs: Career Women at the Turn of the 20th Century
Radha Vatsal muses on the shifting contours of social progress for women.
Radha VatsalJul 11, 2017
- Cultural Studies
- Gender & Sexuality
“Carl Broke Something”: On Carl Andre, Ana Mendieta, and the Cult of the Male Genius
Maya Gurantz reflects on Carl Andre, Ana Mendieta, and the cult of the male genius in contemporary art.
Maya GurantzJul 10, 2017
- Art & Architecture
- Gender & Sexuality
Who Does He Favor?
Rachel Masilamani offers a graphic portrait revisiting the 2016 presidential campaign. Part of the July 2017 Smithsonian Asian American Literature Festival.
Rachel MasilamaniJul 9, 2017
“Threads: From the Refugee Crisis” by Kate Evans
A poignant look at the refugee crisis in the UK, this at times heartbreaking story combines the techniques of eyewitness reporting with comic book storytelling to illuminate one of the most pressing issues of our times. Check out our Summer 2017 pick for the LARB Book Club: “Threads: From the Refugee Crisis” by Kate Evans.
Jul 7, 2017
Battling with Technology: The Mystery of “The Human Slaughter-House”
Alexander Landfair ponders the mysterious, short-lived success of “The Human Slaughter-House,” a long-forgotten technophobic novel.
Alexander LandfairJul 5, 2017
- Around the World
- SF