Literary Criticism

"Writing only leads to more writing." — Colette

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
Are We Still Postmodern?: On Stuart Jeffries’s “Everything, All the Time, Everywhere”
Ed Simon reviews Stuart Jeffries’s “Everything, All the Time, Everywhere: How We Became Postmodern.”
Ed SimonMay 25, 2023
- Literary Criticism
An Image of Itself: On David Grundy’s “Present Continuous” 
Tom Allen reviews David Grundy’s “Present Continuous.”
Tom AllenMay 23, 2023
- Literary Criticism
The Open Presentness of Past Moments: On Gary Saul Morson’s “Wonder Confronts Certainty”
Bob Blaisdell reviews Gary Saul Morson’s “Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter.”
Bob BlaisdellMay 17, 2023
- Literary Criticism
The Work of the Audiobook
Alexander Manshel, Laura B. McGrath, and J. D. Porter discuss the economics and aesthetics of audiobooks.
Alexander Manshel, J. D. Porter, Laura B. McGrathMay 16, 2023
- Literary Criticism
On Excavating the Novel and “Toni Morrison: Sites of Memory”
Jasmine Liu visits Princeton University Library’s exhibition of Toni Morrison’s archive.
Jasmine LiuMay 6, 2023
- Literary Criticism
A Tale of Literary and Financial Debauchery: On Joel Warner’s “The Curse of the Marquis de Sade”
John Galbraith Simmons reviews Joel Warner’s “The Curse of the Marquis de Sade: A Notorious Scoundrel, a Mythical Manuscript, and the Biggest Scandal in Literary History.”
John Galbraith SimmonsApr 11, 2023
- Literary Criticism
Still at the Top of His Game: On Nicholas Delbanco’s “Why Writing Matters”
Nick Owchar examines Nicholas Delbanco’s 2020 book “Why Writing Matters” in the context of the author’s career.
Nick OwcharApr 1, 2023
- Literary Criticism