veryone is a sex detective now. A train entering a tunnel, a jutting skyscraper: in the post-Freudian age, readers and viewers are primed to spot innuendo and phallic symbolism. Along with death, sex is said to be art’s bedrock subject. But occasionally—and more interestingly—the imagery works in the opposite way. Instead of other things standing in for sex, … Read more
UR RECOMMENDATIONS this week explore many of life’s pleasures—and are a pleasure to watch. The films and television shows on our list feature sweet animals and amusing dialogue, stand-up comedy and superb soundtracks. There are gastronomic delights and also bodily ones: some characters break bread, others nearly break their beds. “Simple pleasures”, as Oscar Wilde put it, “are … Read more
This is the introduction to Plot Twist, our weekly culture newsletter, in which correspondents spotlight important authors and performers, and tell you about the works of art and the stories they love—and the ones they don’t. VACATION IS having nothing to do and all day to do it in,” said Robert Orben, an American comedy writer. … Read more
Alexandra Suich Bass, our culture editor, reviews a “Lean In” for the Instagram era
Rachel Lloyd, our deputy culture editor, considers how Queen Elizabeth II dressed to impress the world