Essays Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

All Essays

Throw Away Your Mind
Colin Dayan writes about detachment in academic writing, writers on the edge, and Malcolm Lowry’s "Under the Volcano."
Colin DayanNov 16, 2015
- Literary Criticism
Dispatches from a Dematerialized World: Joseph Cornell at the Royal Academy
In a period when digital archives produce instant nostalgia, Cornell's invocations of "the light of other days" seem both relevant and innocent.
Dan BarrowNov 15, 2015
- Art & Architecture
Tolkien Criticism Today
For Tolkien criticism to succeed, it must develop sophisticated, compelling arguments in serious academic publication venues.
Norbert SchürerNov 13, 2015
- SF
The Witching Hour: The Occult in an Age When There Are No More Secrets
Steffie Nelson interviews Peter Bebergal and Alex Mar
Steffie NelsonNov 13, 2015
- Cultural Studies
The Good Wife, Season 7
The ghosts of beloved characters haunt this season
Aaron BadyNov 13, 2015
- Dear Television
The Last Child Soldier: “Beasts of No Nation” and the Child-Soldier Narrative
The African child-soldier narrative has a second life now in movies like Cary Joji Fukunaga's "Beasts of No Nation."
Aaron BadyNov 11, 2015
- Film
What Is Becoming of Deleuze?
A roundtable on the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze on the 20th anniversary of his death.
Adrian ParrNov 8, 2015
- Philosophy & Religion
The Laius Complex. Abraham, Laius, Moses — Father, Trauma, and Carrying
A roundtable on the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze on the 20th anniversary of his death.
Bracha L. EttingerNov 8, 2015
- Philosophy & Religion
Deleuze’s Metallurgic Machines
A roundtable on the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze on the 20th anniversary of his death.
Nov 8, 2015
A Singular, and yet, Non-Arbitrary Life
A roundtable on the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze on the 20th anniversary of his death.
Gregg LambertNov 8, 2015
- Philosophy & Religion
Gilles Deleuze: The Event of Life
A roundtable on the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze on the 20th anniversary of his death.
Brad EvansNov 8, 2015
- Philosophy & Religion
Undigesting Deleuze
A roundtable on the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze on the 20th anniversary of his death.
Brian MassumiNov 8, 2015
- Philosophy & Religion
West Bank of the East: Burma’s Social Engineering Project
To get something approaching an accurate reading of Burma today requires a process of contrasting grand narratives with hyper-local experiences.
Francis WadeNov 7, 2015
- Around the World
Broad Appeal: The Gateway Museum
The Broad is like a gateway drug.
Shana Nys DambrotNov 6, 2015
- Art & Architecture
Beyond The Broad: A Better Paradigm Is Possible
Tucker NeelNov 6, 2015
- Art & Architecture
Diversity Is Magic: A Roundtable on Children’s Literature and Speculative Fiction
How was it that these readers could imagine dystopian futuristic world, but couldn’t imagine a child of color as integral to a storyline?
Rochelle SpencerNov 5, 2015
- Young Adult & Children’s Literature