The Keatsian endeavor has never been popular, but is particularly unfashionable today. Religious fundamentalists reject it on the grounds that revelation and commitment are needed to orient oneself in the world. The amorality of a poet who is a “thoroughfare for all thoughts” risks heresy or destabilization. Tell me where you stand, where your... See more
RIP Baudrillard. You would’ve loved Sabrina Carpenter and ChatGPT.
First, it’s “consumer spending,” meaning that it’s considered something people choose to spend their income on. When commentators talk about the “strength of the consumer” or consumers “continuing to spend,” this category is included in their formulation. That’s crazy. But no one wants a banking app or checks, it’s non—discretionary, akin to taxes.... See more
The 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
In reality, Spotify was subject to the outsized influence of the major-label oligopoly of Sony, Universal, and Warner, which together owned a 17 percent stake in the company when it launched. The companies, which controlled roughly 70 percent of the market for recorded music, held considerable negotiating power from the start. For these major... See more