Books, Arts & Manners
The World according to David Pryce-Jones
A review of Openings & Outings: An Anthology, by David Pryce-Jones.
Crime and ‘Overpunishment’: A Short History
A review of The Myth of Overpunishment, by Barry Latzer.
How Do Statesmen Differ from Tyrants?
A review of The Statesman as Thinker: Portraits of Greatness, Courage, and Moderation, by Daniel J. Mahoney.
Charles Dickens, the Bible, and Us
A review of Dickens and the Bible: ‘What Providence Meant’, by Jennifer Gribble.
Forget What the Chatterers Say. These Are among the Best Pavilions at the Biennale
Outsider artists, craftsmanship, and human values win the day, if not the prizes.
What Happened to Star Trek?
The franchise has always depended on a tension between its utopian vision and challenges to that vision. Have current versions erred toward the latter?
Monty Clift and the Art of Distraction
A bold documentary counters the movie legend that he was a tortured, self-hating homosexual.
America Is Craving a Reset
Conservatives are calling Top Gun: Maverick a rebuke to wokeness, but that’s not right. It isn’t an anti-woke movie; it’s merely a woke-free movie.
A Treasure Trove of Craft at the Renwick
Ignore the woke messages and just revel in the art of craft at the Renwick Gallery’s anniversary show.