Criticism, from within the work

An essay is a walk over a structured object. Each piece decomposes a work into its beats, motifs, arcs, resonances, devices and affect, then follows one argument through it — every claim answerable to a record.

Pandora's Box: A Tragedy in Three Acts · Wedekind, Frank, 1864-1918; Eliot, Samuel A. (Samuel Atkins), 1893-1984 [Translator]

The Stammering Toast

when a party scene refuses to move

critique3 min read

Romeo and Juliet · Shakespeare, William

The Unwashed Hands

servants in Romeo and Juliet, who vanish after

reminisce4 min read

Romeo and Juliet · Shakespeare, William

The Street That Swallows Voices

Balthasar, whose greeting begins the violence and whose silence shapes everything after

reminisce4 min read

Romeo and Juliet · Shakespeare, William

Farewell, Farewell

when parting carries nothing forward

critique3 min read

Macbeth · William Shakespeare

The Wall He Cannot Climb Back Over

on the pivot that locks Macbeth into murder

critique5 min read