Los Angeles Review of Books is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and disseminating rigorous, incisive, and engaging writing on every aspect of literature, culture, and the arts. Since its founding in 2011, LARB has quickly established itself as a thriving institution for writers and readers. The LARB Quarterly Journal, a signature pri

The Winter 2020 issue of the Los Angeles Review of Books Quarterly Journal is dedicated to Catharsis. Originally defined by Aristotle, catharsis is the process of purging emotions through art. It's a way of finally gaining relief or clarity. In this time of high tension, is there a new way to think about catharsis? How do we attain that difficult clarification or purging? For Aristotle, the tragic play was a vehicle of catharsis. What are some of the artistic vessels that provide catharsis for us in the modern age? Is it the reality show, the horror film, the Twitter rant?

This issue will grapple with the very idea of catharsis, its definition and perhaps its redefinition in our contemporary era. What makes something cathartic and what are some of the ways in which our culture resists catharsis and holds on to complicated emotions? How is literature dealing with catharsis now and how do we think about it psychologically? Why do we require external outlets to confront our innermost emotions? This issue will examine the urge to purge, literally and figuratively.