Literary Criticism

"Writing only leads to more writing." — Colette

Russianness Under Foreign Skies: On Edyta M. Bojanowska’s “A World of Empires: The Russian Voyage of the Frigate Pallada”
Yelena Furman navigates “A World of Empires: The Russian Voyage of the Frigate Pallada,” by Edyta M. Bojanowska.
Yelena FurmanMar 10, 2019
Philly and South Jersey Gothic: On Jay A. Gertzman’s “Pulp According to David Goodis”
Woody Haut picks up “Pulp According to David Goodis” by Jay A. Gertzman.
Woody HautMar 7, 2019
- Literary Criticism
- Noir
On Gravity and Play: In Conversation with Amit Chaudhuri
Amit Chaudhuri on literary activism, alternative modernisms, and the comedy of friendship.
Sumana RoyMar 4, 2019
The Mexican Phoenix Rises: On “Sor Juana: Or, the Persistence of Pop”
Ed Simon considers “Sor Juana: Or, the Persistence of Pop” by Ilan Stavans.
Ed SimonFeb 27, 2019
The Jewish Body in Pain
Sunny S. Yudkoff’s cultural lens is intriguing, but her close readings of literary works are what enliven "Tubercular Capital."
Arshy AziziFeb 14, 2019
Our Placeless Condition
Hadji Bakara reviews Lyndsey Stonebridge’s “Placeless People: Writing, Rights, and Refugees.”
Hadji BakaraFeb 11, 2019
- Literary Criticism
- Politics
tl;dr: On “Reading and the Making of Time in the Eighteenth Century”
Gill Partington makes time for Christina Lupton’s “Reading and the Making of Time in the Eighteenth Century.”
Gill PartingtonFeb 10, 2019
- Literary Criticism
Why Literature Professors Turned Against Authors — Or Did They?
The intentions of authors still matter, no matter what the critics say.
John FarrellJan 13, 2019
- Literary Criticism
Letter to the Editor: Timothy Aubry Responds to Jean-Thomas Tremblay’s Review of His “Guilty Aesthetic Pleasures”
Timothy Aubry responds to Jean-Thomas Tremblay’s LARB review of his “Guilty Aesthetic Pleasures” (December 12, 2018).
Timothy AubryDec 30, 2018
- Literary Criticism
Tolstoy Untangled: On Donna Tussing Orwin’s “Simply Tolstoy”
Bob Blaisdell appreciates “Simply Tolstoy” by Donna Tussing Orwin.
Bob BlaisdellDec 25, 2018
- Biography & Autobiography
- Literary Criticism
Actually Existing Cosmopolitanism
Jeff J. Williams talks to Bruce Robbins about George Orwell, the Sokal hoax, and his recent book, “The Beneficiary.”
Jeffrey J. WilliamsDec 23, 2018
The Aesthetic Is Back; It Never Left
Jean-Thomas Tremblay reviews Timothy Aubry’s “Guilty Aesthetic Pleasures.”
Jean-Thomas TremblayDec 12, 2018
- Literary Criticism