Literary Criticism

"Writing only leads to more writing." — Colette

America’s War on Theater
Daniel Blank reviews James Shapiro’s “The Playbook: A Story of Theater, Democracy, and the Making of a Culture War.”
Daniel BlankJul 22
Meeting as Wonderstruck Kin
Marissa Grunes reviews Renée Bergland’s “Natural Magic: Emily Dickinson, Charles Darwin, and the Dawn of Modern Science.”
Marissa GrunesJul 21
Reconfiguring the Categories
Yelena Furman reviews Karolina Krasuska’s “Soviet-Born: The Afterlives of Migration in Jewish American Fiction.”
Yelena FurmanJul 15
- Nonfiction
- Literary Criticism
The Gap at the End of the World
In an excerpt from LARB Quarterly no. 41, “Truth,” Cynthia Cruz seeks truth in melancholia, Hegel, and capitalist civilization’s possible futures.
Cynthia CruzJul 8
What Is the Point of Such Inhumane Programs? On Magdalena Saryusz-Wolska’s “Microhistories of Memory”
Harry Waksberg reviews a new book about a German television series about the Holocaust, written by Magdalena Saryusz-Wolska.
Harry WaksbergJun 7
Another World, Another Life: On Anaïs Ngbanzo’s “Who Are You Dorothy Dean?”
Conor Williams reviews a new biography of Dorothy Dean, edited by Anaïs Ngbanzo.
Conor WilliamsJun 2
The Commonsense Critic: A Personal Tribute to Helen Vendler
Cinque Henderson writes a personal tribute for Helen Vendler.
Cinque HendersonMay 29
Mythic Appetites: On Meta-Desires, Marriage, and Meals in the Personal Essay
Kristen Malone Poli examines the true hunger at the heart of the divorce plot.
Kristen Malone PoliMay 9
Theft of the Commons: On David Bellos and Alexandre Montagu’s “Who Owns This Sentence?”
Jessica Rizzo reviews David Bellos and Alexandre Montagu’s “Who Owns This Sentence? A History of Copyrights and Wrongs.”
Jessica RizzoMay 4
- Law
- Literary Criticism
A Transatlantic Metamorphosis: On Brian K. Goodman’s “The Nonconformists”
Ian Ellison reviews Brian K. Goodman’s “The Nonconformists: American and Czech Writers Across the Iron Curtain.”
Ian EllisonApr 27
When Tolstoy Met Trollope: On Sophie Ratcliffe’s “Loss, a Love Story”
Bob Blaisdell reviews Sophie Ratcliffe’s “Loss, a Love Story: Imagined Histories and Brief Encounters.”
Bob BlaisdellApr 17
- Literary Criticism
- Memoir & Essay
Endless Renewal: On Adam Phillips’s “On Giving Up”
Sarah Moorhouse reviews Adam Phillips’s “On Giving Up.”
Sarah MoorhouseMar 26