Hello and welcome to The Span, Defector’s first and only culture newsletter. Every other week, we will collect the best non-sports writing from Defector so that you won’t miss anything, and also let you in on what we’ve been reading elsewhere. Like the Culture section itself, this newsletter will be driven entirely by our whims or, if you’re feeling fancy, our aesthetic judgment. We’re going to share stuff we like, for no other reason than that we like it.
You can sign up for the newsletter either here or by using the form below!
And one thing we really like is stretching a funny concept to the point of breaking. Which is why we’re kicking things off with MIDDLEMARCH MADNESS, a bracket to determine the best 19th-century novel in the English language. More details below!
Here are some cool blogs from Defector:
Cherien Dabis Discusses The Challenges Of Writing, Filming, And Distributing A Palestinian Movie
An interview with the filmmaker behind All That's Left of You
Paul Thomas Anderson Finally Gets His Coronation
Once again, the Academy is playing catch-up. Better late than never.
Here are some cool blogs from elsewhere on the internet:
Bleeding in the Dishes
Joanna Biggs writing about On the Calculation of Volume for the London Review of Books
Wow: Our Middlemarch Madness Bracket is below!
The Middlemarch bracket attempts to crown the best English-language adult novel of the 19th century. How did we arrive at the inaugural Sweet Sixteen? A highly secret and rigorously scientific process. Of course, we’ve got expected heavy hitters like Moby-Dick and the eponymous Middlemarch, but every good bracket includes some dark horse contenders, hence McTeague (which Brandy insists is actually widely known and well-regarded, thank you.) Rankings have been determined via Defector staff consensus and are not open to debate.
The winner will be determined by you, the readers, so vote early and vote often. You can do that here. Next week, we will announce the Elite Eight. The path to eternal glory begins now!
