Gilded Guilt
On Taylor Swift, Julian Fellowes, and the class conflicts that never die
By Jessa Crispin Friday, February 13, 2026
The Popper Principle
Did Plato really espouse ideas that led eventually to totalitarianism?
By Robert Zaretsky Thursday, January 29, 2026
It’s a Wonderful (Falling Apart) Life
In the disrepair of our everyday world are suggestions of life’s burdens and consolations
By Ben Slote Friday, December 19, 2025
The Conspiracist Cotton Mather
The zealot who oversaw the Salem Witch Trials initially voiced restraint—what changed?
By Colin Dickey Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Baby Shoggoth Is Listening
Why are some writers tailoring their work for AI, and what does this mean for the future of writing and reading?
By Dan Kagan-Kans Wednesday, October 29, 2025
What Is an American Hero, Anyway?
Lists of great artists say more about the list-maker than the artist
By Jessa Crispin Friday, October 24, 2025
Inner Demon Hunters
Could a hit animated movie hold the key to healing generational trauma in Korea?
By Jean Kim Friday, October 10, 2025
Days of Awe
The Romantics sought the sublime in nature, but the feeling may be experienced in humanity, too
By Robert Zaretsky Thursday, September 25, 2025
Key Change
A life with Beethoven’s Sonata Pathétique
By Emily Fox Kaplan Thursday, September 18, 2025
The Great American Travel Book
The book that helped revive a genre, leading to an all-too-brief heyday
By Thomas Swick Thursday, August 28, 2025
Immaculate Innings
At the ballpark on a summer night in Baltimore
By David Brown Thursday, August 28, 2025
The Patient Penelope Fitzgerald
Here’s to the English writer who waited until her ninth decade to finally experience fame in America
By Jessica Francis Kane Friday, August 22, 2025
Lessons in the Diplomatic Arts
Notes from a musical tour of South Africa
By Joseph Horowitz Thursday, July 3, 2025
Visions From Jura
What the world looked like to George Orwell during his final days
By Robert Zaretsky Thursday, May 29, 2025
The Resistance Fighter as Philosopher
Remembering Vladimir Jankélévitch
By Robert Zaretsky Thursday, February 27, 2025
The Diagnostician of Despair
Why Rousseau believed that Enlightenment values would lead us to ruin
By Robert Zaretsky Thursday, December 19, 2024
On Book
August Wilson’s play just hit the big screen, but even greater rewards await on the page
By David A. Taylor Monday, November 25, 2024
The Baritone as Democrat
How Lawrence Tibbett prophesied the Metropolitan Opera crisis of today
By Joseph Horowitz Thursday, November 21, 2024
