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Criticism

Review of Restitution by Brandt Ryan

June 21, 2021

affect, drama, play, restraint, review, theater

Disclaimer: I read the play Restitution, by Brandt Ryan, in a professional capacity. In other words, I received remuneration to do so in order to offer feedback. This has not affected this review, which is entirely independent, my own initiative, and a result of my having found the text impressive.

Restitution, by Brandt Ryan, is a one-act play. It takes place on the platform of a New York subway station, late at night, in the summer of 1990. The title of the play alludes to restitution payments claimed by Jewish survivors of World War II, and is also a thematic element in the story.

The play involves two young grifters, Figgy and Margot, who are anxiously awaiting for someone to arrive in order for their swindling plan to take form. While waiting for the arrival of this person – a street performer being the only other presence on the platform – they discuss the details of their con, reflecting on ethics as well as practical dangers involved.

That’s basically all you need to know before entering the world of the play. Because the characters take over immediately, creating an engaging, dynamic story.

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Review of Invisible Cities, by Italo Calvino

May 31, 2021

Book Review, Criticism

absurd, book, fiction, imagination, literature, review

So, what should a review of Invisible Cities, by Italo Calvino be like? One thing’s for certain: It can’t be like any other review, because the novel (if one may still call it that) is like no other, either.

If that way of describing it sounds familiar, you’ve likely read my review of Confessions of a Mask, by Yukio Mishima. In that review, too, I had real trouble placing the work in a certain framework. Invisible Cities defies characterization. It’s what art should really be like: Focusing on affect, foregoing plot.

With these in mind, it will likely be no surprise to hear that I loved Calvino’s book. But reviews aren’t about what we like, but about why we like them. And so, in this review of Invisible Cities my goal – as with everything else I review – is ultimately to show you what the book feels like, rather than what it is.

review of invisible cities — *Invisible Cities* is a book that defies categorization

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When Modernity Fails: How Dracula Foretold the Great War

March 8, 2021

Criticism, Society

academia, capitalism, criticism, Dracula, Gothic, modernity, society, technology

Before I say another word, here’s a disclaimer. Yes, the subtitle is somewhat misleading, albeit catchy. Bram Stoker’s Dracula didn’t quite foretell the Great War, that is WW1, in the sense it didn’t intend to. What happens in Dracula – and the reason this post exists – is that Stoker, reflecting the cultural milieu of the late 19th century, subconsciously included in his magnum opus the reasons why modernity fails. These reasons partly overlap with the reasons behind the Great War.

Perhaps what is more important in all this is that the reasons don’t seem to be all that different today. More than a hundred years later, modernity fails us again. Crucially, modernity fails us for the same reasons. We’re dealing with somewhat altered dynamics, of course, yet the basic ingredients are the same.

We’ll begin by taking a brief look at the historical context of Dracula – the cultural milieu I referred to. Then we’ll see how Stoker’s novel explains why modernity fails, and how that relates to the Great War.

Like every self-respecting Gothic work, Dracula hides a complex nexus of meaning. Blood-sucking vampires only form the skin layer, but the heart – no pun intended – of the novel contains a multitude of allegories, many of which are not the result of conscious authorial work.

I imagine Mina Harker to look like that; calm and welcoming on the surface, but deep down ambiguous and fascinatingly unreliable. She’s also the embodiment of why modernity fails in *Dracula*.

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