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Was Abraham Lincoln Gay . . . And Should We Care?
The writer Carl Sandburg, in his 1926 biography of Abraham Lincoln, made a provocative claim—that the President’s relationship with the Kentucky state representative Joshua Speed held “streaks of lav…
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago
The Trap of the Trad Wife
This summer, scrutiny of the figure of the “trad wife” hit a fever pitch. These influencers’ accounts feature kempt, feminine women embracing hyper-traditional roles in marriage and home-making—and, …
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago
Tarot, Tech, and Our Age of Magical Thinking
Until recently, tarot, astrology, and spiritualism—practices often shorthanded simply as woo-woo—were the stuff of dusty psychic parlors and seventies nostalgia. But today, mysticism has permeated ma…
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago
The Irresistible Myth of Las Vegas
Cities have always been romanticized, but few of them have embraced—or actively engineered—their reputations as thoroughly as Las Vegas. On the second in a series of Critics at Large interview episod…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, and the Unstable Hierarchy of Pop
“ ‘BRAT’ summer”—so named for the Charli XCX album that’s become the soundtrack of Kamala Harris’s Presidential run—has given pop fans much to discuss, from Charli’s own flirtation with mainstream st…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
Why We Want What Tom Ripley Has
In her 1955 novel, “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” Patricia Highsmith introduced readers to the figure of Tom Ripley, an antihero who covets the good life, and achieves it—by stealing it from someone else…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
The Kamala Harris Vibe Shift
The announcement of Kamala Harris’s Presidential run has set off one of the most pronounced vibe shifts in recent memory. On this episode of Critics at Large, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexan…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
From Vanity Fair’s “Dynasty”: Can Harry and Meghan’s Hollywood Dream Last?
Critics at Large is off this week. In the meantime, enjoy a recent episode from Vanity Fair’s “Dynasty,” hosted by the executive editor Claire Howorth, along with the correspondents Katie Nicholl and…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
Alice Munro’s Fall from Grace
In an essay published earlier this month, Andrea Skinner, the daughter of the lauded writer Alice Munro, detailed the sexual abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of Munro’s second husband, Gera…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
The Changing World of Nature Documentaries
In 1954, a young David Attenborough made his début as the star of a new nature show called “Zoo Quest.” The docuseries, which ran for nearly a decade on the BBC, was a sensation that set Attenborough…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago