All Essays

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  Spring Break Forever

  On its 10th anniversary, Paul Thompson revisits Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers.”

  Paul ThompsonMar 22, 2023

  • Film

• 

  The Perils of Orthodoxy and Florida House Bill 999

  Stephen Schryer excavates the roots of contemporary anti-woke politics in the work of the father of modern movement conservatism.

  Stephen SchryerMar 15, 2023

  • Politics

• 

  Winged Creatures

  Lara Vergnaud reflects on translation and motherhood.

  Lara VergnaudMar 14, 2023

  • Memoir & Essay

• 

  Viruses on Film: From the Pandemic Procedural to the Lockdown Comedy to the Activist Documentary

  Steven W. Thrasher surveys the onscreen evolution of viruses in the wake of our collective experience with COVID-19.

  Steven W. ThrasherMar 13, 2023

  • Film

• 

  Trust the Tale, Not the Teller?: Art and Propaganda in Contemporary Russia

  Adam Kelly delves into the murky intersection of art and politics in Putin’s Russia, through the work of Vladislav Surkov.

  Adam KellyMar 12, 2023

  • Politics

• 

  Epicurus for Our Time

  Robert Pogue Harrison approaches Epicurus for different ways of looking at the problems of today.

  Robert Pogue HarrisonMar 12, 2023

  • Philosophy & Religion

• 

  How We Learned to Love “Free” Markets

  Rebecca L. Spang reviews Jacob Soll’s “Free Market: The History of an Idea” and Stefan Eich’s “The Currency of Politics: The Political Theory of Money from Aristotle to Keynes.”

  Rebecca L. SpangMar 11, 2023

  • Economics and Finance

• 

  Skeletons in the Dungeon: Conspiracy Theory, Nationalism, and the French Revolution

  Nicole Bauer explores how the French Revolution made conspiracy theory central to modern political discourse.

  Nicole BauerMar 9, 2023

  • History

• 

  Back, Scoundrels: Eating the Rich on Film

  Pat Cassels considers a spate of new class-conscious popular films, including “Triangle of Sadness,” “The Menu,” and “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.”

  Pat CasselsMar 7, 2023

  • Film

• 

  The Manic Pixie Dream Girl in the Attic: On Netflix’s “Love Is Blind”

  Samantha Pergadia reviews Netflix’s “Love Is Blind” in the context of Victorian literature.

  Samantha PergadiaMar 1, 2023

  • Television

• 

  History Is Hard to Decode: On 50 Years of Thomas Pynchon’s “Gravity’s Rainbow”

  Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Gravity’s Rainbow,” a half century old today, has never seemed more relevant.

  M. Keith BookerFeb 28, 2023

  • Fiction

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  Fatal Flâneur: On Joel Schumacher’s “Falling Down” and the Sidewalks of Los Angeles

  Carl Abbott revisits Joel Schumacher’s “Falling Down,” starring Michael Douglas, for the film’s 30th anniversary.

  Carl AbbottFeb 26, 2023

  • Film

• 

  Fashioning Death

  Gwenda-lin Grewal examines the parallels between philosophy and fashion.

  Gwenda-lin GrewalFeb 26, 2023

  • Philosophy & Religion

• 

  Bleeding Green and Yellow: On Football in Brazil

  Clarissa Fragoso Pinheiro discusses how football in Brazil is a central pillar sustaining the collective illusion of a shared national identity.

  Clarissa Fragoso PinheiroFeb 25, 2023

  • Sports

• 

  “Muscle Memory” by Jenny Liou

  A stunning lyrical exploration of violence and identity, the scars of intergenerational trauma, and the healing power of cage fighting. Check out our Spring 2023 pick for the LARB Book Club: “Muscle Memory” by Jenny Liu.

  Feb 25, 2023
• 

  Jason Wingard’s EdTech Griftopia

  Matt Seybold explores the implications of the recent grad student strike at Temple University.

  Matt SeyboldFeb 23, 2023

  • Education