Theses on the Feminist Novel
Not every novel that concerns itself with the lives of women is a feminist novel.
Winter 2026
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Passports for Sale
Until recently, becoming a citizen of a country has largely been regarded as priceless—a rare intangible privilege that can’t be bought or sold. This perception is starting to fade.
For Pleasure: A Letter
Difficulty is not an inherent virtue. A book must on some level give pleasure.
Politics As Psychological Fulfillment: Judith Stein Responds to Rick Perlstein
Part three of our debate on the rise of the right.
“The View From 30,000 Feet”:
Rick Perlstein Responds to Judith Stein
The author of Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan debates reviewer Judith Stein on the rise of the right in the 1970s.
The Rise of Reagan’s America
In his latest book, Rick Perlstein tells lively stories at the expense of the political complexity.
Bartlebys All!
Few institutions have offered themselves as less promising for the novelist than the modern office. And yet…
Whose Moon Is It Anyway?
Managing the commons is fraught enough here on Earth, but decisions will be all the more complicated when dealing with the great commons of the sky.
Introduction: The Gunshot Concert
Introducing our special Fall edition on Politics and the Novel—with essays by Nikil Saval, Vivian Gornick, Benjamin Hale, Helen Dewitt, Nina Martyris, and Roxane Gay—David Marcus asks: what happened to the political novel?
Not an Option
The current state of American two-party politics is profoundly depressing—and shameful. In Congress, the Republicans rail against any program that helps workers and the poor, block any chance for undocumented women and men to become citizens, oppose every attempt to …
How the Right Gets Us Wrong
Because Dissent loves totalitarian politics.
Decline of the Strike 
A new edition of Jeremy Brecher’s classic Strike reminds readers of the sheer size, violence, and power of labor struggles now erased from American historical consciousness .
Bad Feminists
Women may be writing their own fantasies now, but these are still fantasies of conventionality.
Six Fables
Six fables by Syrian poet Osama Alomar.
How Capitalism Got Its Name
It was not until the late nineteenth century that the word “capitalism” acquired the meaning it has for us today.
