When there were giants: three great classicists

by Victor Davis Hanson

On Donald Kagan, John Patrick Lynch, and Leslie Threatte.

Salzburg chronicle

On the 2021 Salzburg Festival.

Medieval Spain at The Cloisters

by Karen Wilkin

On “Spain, 1000–1200: Art at the Frontiers of Faith” at The Met Cloisters.

Conventional thinking

by Marc M. Arkin

On Power and Liberty: Constitutionalism in the American Revolution by Gordon Wood.

Uncut gems

by James Panero

On the new Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals at the American Museum of Natural History, New York.

The Critic’s Notebook

by the Editors

On gardens, Fred Gutzeit, the Goths, Alejandro Cerrudo & more from the world of culture.

October 2021

Notes & Comments

Duchamp in Kabul

On a new cultural imperialism.

Crippling classics

On contemporary politics and the study of classics.

Features

Western civilization at the crossroads: II

A popular form of monomania

by Anthony Daniels

On the development of a new morality.

Two stray notes on “Moby-Dick”

by William Logan

On contemporary reviews of Moby-Dick and Melville’s journey on the Acushnet.

The appropriation of Locke

by Joseph Loconte

On the Enlightenment thinker’s religious convictions.

When there were giants: three great classicists

by Victor Davis Hanson

On Donald Kagan, John Patrick Lynch, and Leslie Threatte.

Poems

“Anatomy is destiny”

by Dan Brown

Making hay

by Peter Filkins

To Dervla Murphy’s mother, in a time of quarantine

by Katie Hartsock

Reflections

Uncut gems

by James Panero

On the new Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals at the American Museum of Natural History, New York.

Theater

A shaky new season

by Kyle Smith

On Pass Over at August Wilson Theatre, Trial on the Potomac: The Impeachment of Richard Nixon at the Theatre at St. Clement’s, and The Book of Moron at Soho Playhouse.

Art

Medieval Spain at The Cloisters

by Karen Wilkin

On “Spain, 1000–1200: Art at the Frontiers of Faith” at The Met Cloisters.

Music

Salzburg chronicle

by Jay Nordlinger

On the 2021 Salzburg Festival.

The media

No regrets

by James Bowman

On the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Notebook

Donald Kagan, 1932–2021

by Paul A. Rahe

Remembering the late historian and classicist.

The Critic’s Notebook

by The Editors

September 21, 2021

On gardens, Fred Gutzeit, the Goths, Alejandro Cerrudo & more from the world of culture.

Week in review

by Jane Coombs

September 17, 2021

On Liszt, Dickens & a stained glass museum.

The making of the Waldorf-Astoria

by Katrina Gulliver

September 17, 2021

On American Hotel: The Waldorf-Astoria and the Making of a Century by David Freeland.

The last Redcoat

by Timothy Jacobson

September 16, 2021

On the end of the American Revolution.

The music that is in you

by Jay Nordlinger

September 15, 2021

On arts and letters, popularity and unpopularity.

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Books

Citizens lamed

by Wilfred M. Mcclay

On The Dying Citizen by Victor Davis Hanson.

The Bate Gatsby

by Paul Dean

On Bright Star, Green Light by Jonathan Bate.

Conventional thinking

by Marc M. Arkin

On Power and Liberty: Constitutionalism in the American Revolution by Gordon Wood.

Clive Bell’s chimes

by Brooke Allen

On Clive Bell and the Making of Modernism: A Biography by Mark Hussey.

Material objections

by James Franklin

On George Berkeley: A Philosophical Life by Tom Jones.

Fierce man of the fens

by Simon Heffer

On The Making of Oliver Cromwell by Ronald Hutton.

A timely translation

by Michael Fontaine

On The Aeneid by Vergil, translated by Shadi Bartsch.

Way down south

by Jeremy Black

On Confederate Exodus: Social and Environmental Forces in the Migration of U.S. Southerners to Brazil by Alan P. Marcus.

Out of respect for my hat

by Harry Adams

On The Edwardians and Their Houses: The New Life of Old England by Timothy Brittain-Catlin.

Bookstore

When there were giants: three great classicists

by Victor Davis Hanson

Salzburg chronicle

Medieval Spain at The Cloisters

by Karen Wilkin

Conventional thinking

by Marc M. Arkin

Uncut gems

by James Panero

The Critic’s Notebook

by the Editors

Notes & Comments

Duchamp in Kabul

Crippling classics

Features

A popular form of monomania

Two stray notes on “Moby-Dick”

The appropriation of Locke

When there were giants: three great classicists

“Anatomy is destiny”

Making hay

To Dervla Murphy’s mother, in a time of quarantine

Uncut gems

A shaky new season

Medieval Spain at The Cloisters

Salzburg chronicle

No regrets

Donald Kagan, 1932–2021

The Critic’s Notebook

by The Editors

September 21, 2021

Week in review

by Jane Coombs

September 17, 2021

The making of the Waldorf-Astoria

by Katrina Gulliver

September 17, 2021

The last Redcoat

by Timothy Jacobson

September 16, 2021

The music that is in you

by Jay Nordlinger

September 15, 2021

Stay informed with our weekly email newsletter, “The Critic’s Notebook.”

Subscribe to our Critic's Notebook

A free weekly newsletter about arts & culture

Citizens lamed

The Bate Gatsby

Conventional thinking

Clive Bell’s chimes

Material objections

Fierce man of the fens

A timely translation

Way down south

Out of respect for my hat

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This Week

1 When there were giants: three great classicists by Victor Davis Hanson

2 A popular form of monomania by Anthony Daniels

3 Culture as counterculture by Adam Kirsch

4 Classical patricide by Victor Davis Hanson

5 Salinger’s arrested development by Bruce Bawer

6 The obsessions of Marguerite Duras by Fernanda Eberstadt

7 Fyodor Dostoevsky: philosopher of freedom by Gary Saul Morson

8 Sylvia speaks by Carl Rollyson

9Duchamp in Kabul

10 Two stray notes on “Moby-Dick” by William Logan

1 Culture as counterculture by Adam Kirsch

2 Classical patricide by Victor Davis Hanson

3 When there were giants: three great classicists by Victor Davis Hanson

4 The moral of Caesar by Roger Kimball

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6 Denis Donoghue, 1928–2021 by Adam Kirsch

7 Malicious Marcuse by Anthony Daniels

8 A popular form of monomania by Anthony Daniels

9 The faithless Malraux by Mark Falcoff

10 Civilization & tradition by Allen C. Guelzo & James Hankins

1 The triumph of Thomas Sowell by John Steele Gordon

2 The perversions of M. Foucault by Roger Kimball

3 Fyodor Dostoevsky: philosopher of freedom by Gary Saul Morson

Subscribe to our
Critic's Notebook

1
When there were giants: three great classicists by Victor Davis Hanson

2
A popular form of monomania by Anthony Daniels

3
Culture as counterculture by Adam Kirsch

4
Classical patricide by Victor Davis Hanson

5
Salinger’s arrested development by Bruce Bawer

6
The obsessions of Marguerite Duras by Fernanda Eberstadt

7
Fyodor Dostoevsky: philosopher of freedom by Gary Saul Morson

8
Sylvia speaks by Carl Rollyson

9
Duchamp in Kabul

10
Two stray notes on “Moby-Dick” by William Logan

1
Culture as counterculture by Adam Kirsch

2
Classical patricide by Victor Davis Hanson

3
When there were giants: three great classicists by Victor Davis Hanson

4
The moral of Caesar by Roger Kimball

5
The invented exile of Edward Said by Keith Windschuttle

6
Denis Donoghue, 1928–2021 by Adam Kirsch

7
Malicious Marcuse by Anthony Daniels

8
A popular form of monomania by Anthony Daniels

9
The faithless Malraux by Mark Falcoff

10
Civilization & tradition by Allen C. Guelzo & James Hankins

1
The triumph of Thomas Sowell by John Steele Gordon

2
The perversions of M. Foucault by Roger Kimball

3
Fyodor Dostoevsky: philosopher of freedom by Gary Saul Morson

4
Keywords: hoist, petard

5
Culture as counterculture by Adam Kirsch

6
Leninthink by Gary Saul Morson

7
The Spartan way of war by Victor Davis Hanson

8
All is Orwell by Gerald Frost

9
The cooling of John le Carré by Michael J. Lewis

10
Classical patricide by Victor Davis Hanson

1
The scab & the wound beneath by Victor Davis Hanson

2
How the great truth dawned by Gary Saul Morson

3
The triumph of Thomas Sowell by John Steele Gordon

4
Leninthink by Gary Saul Morson

5
Fyodor Dostoevsky: philosopher of freedom by Gary Saul Morson

6
The hypocrisy of Noam Chomsky by Keith Windschuttle

7
The perversions of M. Foucault by Roger Kimball

8
George Will’s “conservatism” by James Piereson

9
Keywords: hoist, petard