Literary Criticism

"Writing only leads to more writing." — Colette

• 

  Imitatio Americana

  "Against Self-Reliance" amends the popular story of a US that gives primary importance to the "sacred self."

  D. Berton EmersonMar 17, 2016

  • History

  • Literary Criticism

• 

  The Sharp Edge That Finds Us: Edward Mendelson’s “Moral Agents” and the Question “What Is Man?”

  What is man that though art mindful of him?

  Robert L. Kehoe IIIMar 14, 2016

  • Literary Criticism

• 

  The Puerility of “Purity”: How Franzen’s Latest Novel Rewrites an Edith Wharton Novel You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

  Edith Wharton's "The Children," published in 1928, has a lot in common with Jonathan Franzen's "Purity."

  Sheila LimingMar 11, 2016

  • Fiction

  • Literary Criticism

• The Searcher of Patterns and the Keeper of Things

  Two new books suggest that if this turns out to be a new era in the humanities, it won't be for the reasons we've suspected.

  Christina LuptonMar 5, 2016

  • Literary Criticism

• 

  Fact-Checking Mark Twain

  Are the journalism and the tall tales by Mark Twain one and the same?

  Cara BaylesFeb 20, 2016

  • Fiction

  • Literary Criticism

• 

  Literature and Close Reading: An Interview with Andreas Huyssen

  In "Miniature Metropolis: Literature in an Age of Photography and Film," Huyssen returns to two of the things he loves most: literature and close reading.

  Eric BulsonFeb 19, 2016

  • Literary Criticism

• 

  Reading Madame Bovary in the Provinces

  "Madame Bovary" — a text that, together with Camembert, Côtes du Rhône, and French kissing, may stand as one of France's most enduring cultural exports.

  Birger VanwesenbeeckFeb 14, 2016

  • Biography & Autobiography

  • Fiction

  • Literary Criticism

• 

  Reconsidering Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric. A Symposium, Part II

  A symposium on Claudia Rankine's "Citizen: An American Lyric."

  Catherine Zuromskis, Daniel Worden, Kenneth W. Warren, Lisa UddinJan 7, 2016

  • Literary Criticism

  • Poetry

• 

  Reconsidering Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric. A Symposium, Part I

  A symposium on Claudia Rankine's "Citizen: An American Lyric."

  Daniel Worden, Evie Shockley, Maria A. Windell, Roderick A. FergusonJan 6, 2016

  • Literary Criticism

  • Poetry

• 

  History’s Dick Jokes: On Melville and Hawthorne

  The issue, then, is whether serious scholars writing about famous authors — Melville and Hawthorne — can reasonably deign to take dick jokes as evidence.

  Jordan Alexander SteinDec 15, 2015

  • Gender & Sexuality

  • Literary Criticism

• 

  Embodied Narratives: The Intersection of Fashion and Literature

  An interview with Yahdon Israel, the creator of the #literaryswag movement.

  Sarah BlackwoodDec 4, 2015

  • Literary Criticism

• 

  Throw Away Your Mind

  Colin Dayan writes about detachment in academic writing, writers on the edge, and Malcolm Lowry’s "Under the Volcano."

  Colin DayanNov 16, 2015

  • Literary Criticism