Literary Criticism
Contemporary Literature
Faith Hahn and
Literary Criticism
Alina Stefanescu's personal library of writing, essays, literary criticism.
Nabokov — Speak, Memory.
Poetry is an essential part of society—but only as itself and not as a vehicle for something else.
Micah Mattix • The Integrity of Poetry | Micah Mattix
Apropos of nothing.
One thinks of Amit Majmudar, Christian Wiman, Tracy K. Smith, Ryan Wilson, and many others. These poets are only rarely published in prestigious publications (or, at least, publications with a prestigious legacy), and the group that should be the biggest supporter of these poets—conservatives—has tended to ignore poetry and the arts. When... See more
Micah Mattix • The Integrity of Poetry | Micah Mattix
There’s also an almost unbearable sense of intimacy between author and reader — Céline famously said “what interests me is a direct message to the nervous system.” His total reliance on ellipses forecloses the cheap little tricks used to construct the artifice of what we are told is “good” writing: the strategic period, the melodramatic line break,... See more
In Defense … of the Ellipsis
Nightwood and the "Terror of Uncertain Signs” Laurentis
Nightwood by Djuna Barnes explores the ambiguity and uncertainty of signs and language through its stark and allusive narrative, challenging the reader's expectations and understanding of meaning.
LinkThe redemption arc, in clumsy hands, becomes cheesy and unbelievable, offending good taste more often than not. Granted. But literature has, in the past, found ways to handle this sort of plot delicately, and to great effect. After all, the question of how a person changes ought to absolutely possess a novelist – as a matter of philosophical... See more