Literary Criticism

"Writing only leads to more writing." — Colette

Hunting Down Repositories: A Conversation with George Saunders
Sean Hooks speaks to George Saunders about his first nonfiction book, “A Swim in a Pond in the Rain.”
Sean HooksFeb 5, 2021
- Literary Criticism
- Memoir & Essay
Reading for Unreadability: Racializing Asians During the Long Cold War
Kion You reviews Sunny Xiang's "Tonal Intelligence: The Aesthetics of Asian Inscrutability During the Long Cold War."
Kion YouJan 26, 2021
- Literary Criticism
Unknown Cities: On Daniel Mendelsohn’s “Three Rings”
Jehanne Dubrow ponders "Three Rings," the new book by Daniel Mendelsohn.
Jehanne DubrowJan 23, 2021
How to Read an Artichoke: On George Saunders’s “A Swim in a Pond in the Rain”
Robert Allen Papinchak sits in on the master class of “A Swim in a Pond in the Rain” by George Saunders.
Robert Allen PapinchakJan 14, 2021
Romanticism of the Present
Bakary Diaby reviews two new books by Anahid Nersessian, "The Calamity Form: On Poetry and Social Life" and "Keats’s Odes: A Lover’s Discourse."
Bakary DiabyJan 13, 2021
- Literary Criticism
Man of Sorrows: On Terry Eagleton’s “Tragedy”
Rhodri Lewis makes sense of "Tragedy," the newest book from Terry Eagleton.
Rhodri LewisJan 5, 2021
- Literary Criticism
Fictional Blues: Narrative Self-Invention from Bessie Smith to Jack White
An illuminating, thought-provoking, refreshingly broad-minded new book about the blues.
Clifford ThompsonJan 4, 2021
- Literary Criticism
- Music
Fighting Words
Sheila Liming cuts across “Hooked,” the latest book from Rita Felski.
Sheila LimingDec 14, 2020
- Literary Criticism
The Past Is Now: On Amin Samman’s “History in Financial Times”
John Macintosh charts "History in Financial Times," the new book by Amin Samman.
John MacintoshDec 9, 2020
6 Hörlgasse
Sharing spectral moments in Vienna and Los Angeles with Freud, Thomas Mann, and Marjorie Perloff.
Anthony RendonDec 5, 2020
The Hyena’s Laugh: I. U. Tarchetti and the Birth of Italian Gothic
Lawrence Venuti resurrects the fantastic tales of Iginio Ugo Tarchetti.
Lawrence VenutiDec 4, 2020
Horton! Thou Should Be Living in This Hour: On Matt Sandler’s “The Black Romantic Revolution: Abolitionist Poets at the End of Slavery”
Derik Smith reviews Matt Sandler’s latest work, “The Black Romantic Revolution.”
Derik SmithDec 1, 2020