This Made me Think: A Rec list of Critical Essays

[forestofglory]

Criticism comes in many forms, because there's many ways to think critically about media. A form of criticism that I really enjoy is the critical essay. These are longform pieces of criticism that are generally focused on a broad range of works and developing our understanding more deeply. Critical essays can help us better understand works in context, both by highlighting how works are in conversation with each other and by looking at works in their larger social context.

In the past I've written before about older critical essays that are important to me, so for this list I've chosen to focus on newer work. For this list I've included a variety of essays that I've learned from in the last few years.

The History and Politics of Wuxia by Jeannette Ng
In the last several years I've gotten very into Wuxia, the genre of swooshy martial heroes. So of course I wanted to understand the genre and the conversation it's having better. But I wasn't finding a lot that really helped me understand the genre, so I was extremely grateful for this essay. Ng starts off with her childhood love of Wuxia but then goes deep into the history of the genre providing a wealth of context. There's so much nuance and complexity here as Ng explains the political context of the genre and discusses some of the ways it's linked to Han Chinese identity.

From Panic to Process: What Taking Criticism Actually Means by Marissa Lingen
This is an essay not so much about media but really about criticism and how it can be valuable to a writer. I appreciate the distinctions it draws between pre- and post-publication criticism. While the essay stresses that arguing with reviews is rarely a good thing, it does discuss how writers can learn from them.

The Male Glance by Lili Loofbourow Reading
This essay left me feeling stunned by how good it is! It's about how we approach "boy stories" vs "girl stories" and how who a story is about or written by affects its reception, or just how seriously it's taken.

Sergeant Bothari and Disability Representation in the Early Vorkosiverse by R.B. Lemberg
When we discuss disability representation in SFF, Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga is often brought up as a positive model, based on its main protagonist Miles Vorkosigan who is disabled. This essay looks at how other characters with disabilities are portrayed in the series, in particular examining how lower-class disabled people are portrayed. While the Vorkosigan books are important to me, I really appreciate how this essay points out some major flaws and asks readers to reconsider their biases.

What are some of your favorite recent critical essays?

Comments

[sef1029]

Loved both the Wuxia and the Male Gaze essays--thank you! Off to read the others.

[fred_mouse]

That last link is giving me a page not found.

[forestofglory]

Thanks for telling me! It should be fixed now

[fred_mouse]

<3

[aoftheis]

I read the Sergeant Bothari article a while ago and thought it was a really well-considered piece! RB Lemberg is such an amazing thinker, both in their fiction & other writing.

Excited to read the wuxia essay!

[jajalala]

Thank you for sharing! A dear friend of mine recently published a book and has been debating the best way forward about whether to read reviews (specifically negative reviews) and that essay on taking criticism is some good stuff to chew on that I may share with her

The Male Glance was also excellent, I've felt a lot of those things before and echoes of those frustrations (and recognition of how my own worldview has perpetuated that dismissal of women before! I haven't read Eat, Pray, Love either!) but this essay laid it out very well, I will definitely be sending the link to some others.

Again, thank you for sharing!