The Loves of Mars and Venus
A beautiful homage to the first English ballet.
Criticks – BSECS online reviews
The eighteenth century was the first great age of criticism. In this spirit, the Criticks website provides entertaining, informative and provocative reviews of events and media that are of interest to scholars of the eighteenth century. These complement the reviews of books that are published in the journal of the Society, Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies.
Plays, concerts, operas, exhibitions, films, broadcasts and online resources are here considered in depth by experts in the field. If there is an event that you would like to see reviewed in these pages, or if you would like to review for us, please contact one of the editors below:
Criticks Editor
Criticks Subject Editors
Fine Art: Miriam Al Jamil
Media: Daniel Cook and Adam James Smith
Music: Hannah Templeton
Theatre: Katie Aske
Turner’s Modern and Ancient Ports: Passages through Time
For Turner, it was all light, all the time.
Hokusai: Beyond the Great Wave
A celebration of Hokusai's talent, humour and versatility.
Northern Ballet’s Casanova
An ambitious ballet that portrays its protagonist as much more than just a lover.
Naming, Shaming, Reclaiming: The ‘Incomparable’ Eliza Haywood
An exhibition that gives a strong sense of Haywood's versatility, professionalism and enduring relevance.
Outlander – Season Two
Some narrative coherence is lost in the second season of the time-travel fantasy.
Old Royal Naval College – Painted Hall Ceiling Tour
A rare opportunity to see Thornhill's masterpiece up close.
Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and Valmont (1989)
Looking back at two distinctive adaptations of de Laclos's novel.
Turn: Washington’s Spies
Loyalty, Lies, and Subterfuge: Portraying the American War for Independence as a History from the Shadows
Doctor Who – Thin Ice
A highly enjoyable, and sensitive, peep into Regency London.