Culture
The Atlantic’s Week in Culture
A roundup of our recent writing on arts and entertainment
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Track of the Day: 'Crystal Blue Persuasion'
A reader recommends a smooth, psychedelic song by Tommy James and the Shondells (whose music video is worth…
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Michael Dwyer / AP A Tale of Two Fireworks Dramas
The national character can be glimpsed even in squabbles over Independence Day authenticity in Washington, D.C. and Boston.
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Wikimedia The Art of Handwriting
The personal letters of luminaries like Philip Guston, Dorothea Lange, and Robert Rauschenberg offer insight into their work as much as their lives.
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Track of the Day: 'The Star-Spangled Banner'
A reader in NYC, David Leitner, has the perfect cover for the day: Marvin Gaye’s…
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Europa Editions The Subtle Genius of Elena Ferrante’s Bad Book Covers
Readers complain about the imagery that adorns the author's highbrow novels. But there's value in embracing the oft-scorned "women's fiction" genre.
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Track of the Day: 'Helter Skelter'
In response to my inquiry for the most genre-bending Beatles cover, Jay in Cincinnati remembers a truly unique…
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Ann Heisenfelt / Reuters How Garrison Keillor United America
The host of A Prairie Home Companion used storytelling to bridge the gap between red and blue states.
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Adam Shoesmith / Flickr Blood Orange and the End of The Toast: The Week in Pop-Culture Writing
The highlights from seven days of reading about entertainment
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Edgard Garrido / Reuters How Gay Culture Helped Everyone Come Out of the Closet
The queer-rights movement, Dan Savage argues, helped American culture do something it has traditionally been reluctant to do: talk honestly and openly about sex.
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Henry Romero / Reuters The Moral Panic About Online Porn
The psychotherapist Marty Klein argues that most anxiety about its pervasive influence is misplaced.
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Track of the Day: 'She's a Woman'
From reader Keith Wells: One cover I still love to hear after 30-odd years is…
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A24 Swiss Army Man Is a Sweet, Flatulent Adventure
Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano star in an energetic indie film about the relationship between a lonely man and a magical corpse.
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Shannon Stapleton / Reuters What Does It Really Mean to Be 'Single'?
There needs to be more nuanced language to describe the expanding demographic of unmarried Americans.
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Neil Hall / Reuters Challenging Culture's Whiteness by Default
As the art and entertainment industries begin to look increasingly unlike America, how can people in power better expand their pipeline for talent?
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Mark VonHolden / AP Music-Streaming Peace in Our Time?
The irony and the allure of the rumors about Apple buying Tidal
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Stringer / Reuters Is American Culture Asking Too Much of Marriage?
The relationship therapist Esther Perel thinks so—and argues that it’s time to rethink matrimony and, with it, infidelity.
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Maiden Voyage Motherhood, Identity, and the Dark Side of Tickling at the Nantucket Film Fest
Thoughts on the beach town’s newest offerings, including Life, Animated and Tallulah
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Disney The BFG Is a Beautiful, Sleepy Children’s Epic
Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book finds moments of CGI wonder in its two-hour run time, but little emotional power.
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Asmaa Waguih / Reuters Learning to Be Human
In an era fixated with science, technology, and data, the humanities are in decline. They’re more vital than ever.
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Track of the Day: 'I Want You Back'
Jeremy writes a wonderful reader review: Your cover song series is a such a great…