Literary Criticism

"Writing only leads to more writing." — Colette

Stranger Than Something That Is Already Strange: A Conversation with Namwali Serpell
The literary critic turned celebrated novelist discusses her new book, “Stranger Faces.”
Anastasia NikolisNov 11, 2020
Apocalypse Always: On Matthew Wolf-Meyer’s “Theory for the World to Come”
Sean Guynes evaluates “Theory for the World to Come,” the recently published book from Matthew J. Wolf-Meyer.
Sean GuynesNov 7, 2020
- Literary Criticism
- SF
The Poet and the Dictionary
The reality of a dictionary never lives up to its promises. It fails language. It also fails poets looking for pure language.
Chelsie MalyszekNov 7, 2020
Stanley Crouch, Radical Pragmatist
The death of Stanley Crouch leaves America’s intellectual culture less interesting, less imaginative, and, above all else, less artful.
David MasciotraOct 18, 2020
A Cohort of One’s Own
Frances Lazare considers the friendships and fights of "The Equivalents" by Maggie Doherty and "No Modernism Without Lesbians" by Diana Souhami.
Frances LazareOct 9, 2020
Truths Too Terrible: On Arthur Schnitzler and Franz Kafka
LARB presents an excerpt from Adam Kirsch’s “The Blessing and the Curse: The Jewish People and Their Books in the Twentieth Century.”
Adam KirschOct 8, 2020
Splintered Temporalities: On Cindy Weinstein’s “A Question of Time”
Sharon B. Oster ponders “A Question of Time,” the recently published book edited by Cindy Weinstein.
Sharon B. OsterOct 7, 2020
- Literary Criticism
Between Irritation and Oyster: On Bob Blaisdell’s “Creating Anna Karenina”
Janet Fitch is enlightened by Bob Blaisdell’s biographical study of Tolstoy, “Creating Anna Karenina.”
Oct 4, 2020
- Biography & Autobiography
- Literary Criticism
What We Talk About When We Talk About Magical Realism
Fernando Sdrigotti seeks to break Latin American writers free from the magical realism pigeonhole.
Fernando SdrigottiOct 2, 2020
The Frontiers of Form
Rachael Scarborough King on three books that consider the way forward for New Formalism.
Rachael Scarborough KingSep 19, 2020
- Literary Criticism
Ghosts on the Page: Alice Cary’s “Hagar: A Story of To-Day” and Other Lost Books
Reckoning with the ghosts of neglected women authors.
Leanne PhillipsSep 19, 2020
- Gender & Sexuality
- Literary Criticism
Blackademic Lives Matter: An Interview with Lavelle Porter
Patricia A. Matthew interviews Lavelle Porter about his recent book, "The Blackademic Life: Academic Fiction, Higher Education, and the Black Intellectual."
Patricia A. MatthewSep 9, 2020
- Education
- Literary Criticism