“I am, of course, not arguing that we should think like Steve Bannon. I am, however, struck by how precisely Bannon has identified what makes people commit to political ideas and take action, how well his movement has weaponized this insight”—a memo in light of our Volksbühne event on October 27.

Who has the freedom to be disliked? Wuthering Heights, One Battle After Another, and other recent cultural products reveal different approaches to navigating the politics of race and representation—shaping not only fictional characters, but the practice of criticism itself.