Criticism

Critics, Enemies, and the Difference

Critics are not always enemies. Some speak out of love, even when their words are heated. Continue Reading »

21 Aug 2023

The Integrity of Poetry

Last year marked the thirtieth anniversary of Dana Gioia’s Can Poetry Matter?, a follow-up to his famous 1991 article in The Atlantic. The article and book caused quite a stir. Gioia observed that poetry was no longer a part of intellectual life in America. It was not published in . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Feb 2023

J’Accuse

by Ephraim Radner

Bad reviews killed the poet Keats, so the story goes. Even though the tale has been debunked, it remains popularly repeated. We enjoy the éclat of unjust criticism, especially of the famous, even as we relish pitying the weakness of the oversensitive. The great film director Akira . . . . Continue Reading »

1 May 2022

The Poet’s Eye

by Josh Christenson

To seek publication is to seek to be judged. It is to learn, finally, what kind of writer one is (or is not) meant to be. Continue Reading »

3 Jan 2022

My Ten (Or So) Favorite Cultural Critics

by Bruce Riley Ashford

A list of some of the most perceptive cultural critics of the last two centuries. Continue Reading »

23 Jan 2020

Camille Paglia, Contra Mundum

by Mark Bauerlein

The Claremont Review of Books has granted First Things readers free access to Mark Bauerlein's latest essay. Continue Reading »

6 Mar 2019

The Church’s Book

by Michael C. Legaspi

The Bible in a Disenchanted Age: The Enduring Possibility of Christian Faith by r. w. l. moberly baker, 240 pages, $24.99 The Book of the People: How to Read the Bible by a. n. wilson harper, 224 pages, $26.99 The Bible and the Believer: How to Read the Bible Critically & . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2018