Literary Criticism

"Writing only leads to more writing." — Colette

Marjorie Perloff and the Joy of Poetry: On “Circling the Canon” and “Infrathin”
Jan Baetens uses Marjorie Perloff’s two latest books, “Circling the Canon: The Selected Book Reviews of Marjorie Perloff” and “Infrathin: An Experiment in Micropoetics,” to meditate on her long career as an advocate for innovative poetry.
Jan BaetensJan 13, 2024
- Literary Criticism
- Poetry
You’re Such a Character: The Knausgaard Behind Knausgaard
Bob Blaisdell examines the public life of autofiction icon Karl Ove Knausgaard.
Bob BlaisdellDec 30, 2023
Twins in Wonderland
Helena de Bres uses Tweedledee and Tweedledum as a lens onto twinhood.
Helena de BresDec 26, 2023
- Literary Criticism
- Young Adult & Children’s Literature
Am I Not Now at Peace? On Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel’s “Dayswork”
Alice Kelly reviews Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel’s “Dayswork.”
Alice KellyDec 16, 2023
- Fiction
- Literary Criticism
Fixing the Fuzzy Set? On Brian Attebery’s “Fantasy: How It Works”
Timothy S. Miller reviews Brian Attebery’s “Fantasy: How It Works.”
Timothy S. MillerDec 15, 2023
- Literary Criticism
- SF
To Walden: On Lawrence Buell’s “Henry David Thoreau” and Robert D. Richardson’s “Three Roads Back”
Todd Shy reviews Lawrence Buell’s “Henry David Thoreau: Thinking Disobediently” and Robert D. Richardson’s “Three Roads Back: How Emerson, Thoreau, and William James Responded to the Greatest Losses of Their Lives.”
Todd ShyNov 7, 2023
Coral Tongues: On Chang Yuchen’s “Coral Dictionary Vol. 1”
Maya Hayda reviews Chang Yuchen’s “Coral Dictionary Vol. 1: 2019–2022.”
Maya HaydaNov 4, 2023
Reading in the Conglomerate Era: Or, Do Small Presses Even Exist?
Hilary Plum situates Dan Sinykin’s “Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature” among the ecosystem of small presses in the literary world.
Hilary PlumOct 24, 2023
- Literary Criticism
For Promising Young Women: A Smidge of Midge
Eliana Rozinov examines the figure of Midge as a mythical phenomenon, a pregnant doll, and a variation of the “promising young woman” trope.
Eliana RozinovOct 12, 2023
A Particularly Intimate Mourning: On Susie Boyt’s “Loved and Missed”
Eric Gudas reviews Susie Boyt’s “Loved and Missed.”
Eric GudasOct 11, 2023
- Fiction
- Literary Criticism
Science Fiction Belongs to All of Us: On Joy Sanchez-Taylor’s “Diverse Futures”
Julia Lindsay reviews Joy Sanchez-Taylor’s “Diverse Futures: Science Fiction and Authors of Color.”
Julia LindsayOct 8, 2023
Where Life Is Precious, Life Is Precious. And Surely That’s Not Here: On Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s “Chain-Gang All-Stars”
Salem James Martinez reviews Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s “Chain-Gang All-Stars.”
Salem James MartinezSep 29, 2023