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:
Fine Art: Miriam Al Jamil
Media: Gráinne O’Hare
Music: Brianna Robertson-Kirkland
Theatre: Katie Aske
A prescient reinterpretation, less interested in historical accuracy than in bringing the eighteenth and twenty-first centuries together.
Dr Helen Pierce contemplates the fate of Francis Place's missing artwork.
A thrilling voyage exploring the Henry Purcell's diverse output.
The cinematic liberties taken by this film to stage vital questions about race prove particularly resonant in the summer of 2020.
Though a pleasure to watch, the first season of Sally Wainwright's exploration of queer identity and community isn't quite as groundbreaking as it might first seem.
A story about the importance of recovering stories runs the risk obscuring the stories of all except its main character, yet another great man from history.
There are many things to appreciate about this fresh take on Austen’s novel, including lively music, stunning cinematography, vivid set decorations, and gorgeous costumes.
Where the episode succeeds in capturing the essence of the novel it seeks to celebrate, it fails to do justice to its author: Mary Shelley.
A lacework of exquisitely subtle yet blistering passion, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is less an ephemeral flame and more a firebrand on the soul.
A lively and engaging discussion which, unfortunately, neglects to explore the story of coffee beyond the West.