The Rise of CliffsNotes Cinema
Oversimplified literary remakes miss the point of the works they are adapting.
Culture
Why Justin Bieber Played YouTube Onstage for Thousands of People
The pop star transformed the normal act of browsing your laptop into something interesting—and unsettling.
The New Age of Performance Anxiety
With the rise of screen culture, all the world has stage fright.
Where Did ‘Let Them’ Come From?
Years before Mel Robbins published her best-selling self-help book, a struggling writer posted a poem with a similar message.
An Erotically Untamed Take on Wuthering Heights
A new adaptation of Emily Brontë’s novel captures the story’s grotesque beauty.
What the Seahawks Did to Win the Super Bowl
Seattle played better than the Patriots—and managed to ignore the spectacle surrounding the game.
‘Together, We Are America’
Bad Bunny’s critics said his Super Bowl halftime show would be divisive. They were totally wrong.
Lindsey Vonn Had Every Right to Compete
Skiing in the Olympics at 41 with a torn ACL, Vonn pushed her body as far it could go.
Literary Theory
A poem
Deadlier Than Gettysburg
How the cruelty of the Confederacy’s prison camps gave rise to the rules of war
Let Trump Keep Building Monuments to Himself
The president’s penchant for gilded statues and self-glorification might at least help clarify the nature of his leadership.
Pete Davidson’s Charm Is Working Against Him
His new Netflix “video podcast” leans into his laid-back style, to a fault.
A Very Retro Olympics Opening Ceremony
The performance in Milan looked squarely at the past, both in substance and in style.
The Moral Cost of Living in an Unequal Society
In his new novel, Daniyal Mueenuddin attempts to bring together the stories of people whose lives rarely intersect in meaningful ways.