Literary Criticism

"Writing only leads to more writing." — Colette

The Limits of Agency: On Olga Ravn’s “My Work”
Ariel Courage reviews Olga Ravn’s “My Work,” translated by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell.
Ariel CourageSep 26, 2023
- Fiction
- Literary Criticism
The IIC School Versus the JLF School of Indian English
Sumana Roy on how the vernacularization of the English language has affected Indian political and cultural life.
Sumana RoySep 22, 2023
- Literary Criticism
- Memoir & Essay
Against the MFA Contrarians
Joel Cuthbertson defends the creative writing MFA as an educational, not a vocational, enterprise.
Joel CuthbertsonSep 2, 2023
Salvaging a Soviet Jewish Literary Culture: On Marat Grinberg’s “The Soviet Jewish Bookshelf”
Yelena Furman reviews Marat Grinberg’s “The Soviet Jewish Bookshelf: Jewish Culture and Identity Between the Lines.”
Yelena FurmanAug 29, 2023
All the Television We’ll Lose: On Fantagraphics’ “Ernie in Kovacsland”
Harry Waksberg reviews a new book from Fantagraphics about television pioneer Ernie Kovacs, “Ernie in Kovacsland.”
Harry WaksbergAug 17, 2023
- Literary Criticism
- Television
The World’s Wife: On Clare Carlisle’s “The Marriage Question”
Victoria Baena reviews Clare Carlisle’s “The Marriage Question: George Eliot’s Double Life.”
Victoria BaenaAug 15, 2023
- Biography & Autobiography
- Literary Criticism
After the Leap: Marriage and Philosophy in George Eliot and Søren Kierkegaard
Clare Carlisle analyzes the theme of marriage in the life and work of two great 19th-century thinkers and writers, George Eliot and Søren Kierkegaard.
Clare CarlisleAug 14, 2023
Life, Disturbed: On Nicole Flattery’s “Nothing Special”
Grace Linden reviews Nicole Flattery’s “Nothing Special.”
Grace LindenJul 16, 2023
Technology, Attention, and the Extremely Long Paragraph
Thalia Williamson analyzes how novels that limit or refuse paragraph breaks challenge our distracted modes of reading.
Thalia WilliamsonJul 5, 2023
- Literary Criticism
There’s No Such Thing as a Guilty Pleasure
Katharine Coldiron ponders why we love the bad art we love.
Katharine ColdironJun 24, 2023
- Literary Criticism
- Memoir & Essay
A Century of Writing Back: How Salma Khadra Jayyusi Brought Arabic Literature to the Anglophone World
Dima Ayoub describes the long and multivarious career of Palestinian author and critic Salma Khadra Jayyusi.
Dima AyoubJun 14, 2023
A Considerable Aura: On Adam Shatz’s “Writers and Missionaries”
Ann Manov reviews Adam Shatz’s “Writers and Missionaries: Essays on the Radical Imagination.”
Ann ManovJun 6, 2023
- Literary Criticism
- Nonfiction