In this episode of Private Life, Elaine Blair joins Jarrett Earnest to talk about feminism, sexuality, and television. They discuss her essay “The Loves of Lena Dunham” (published in the June 7, 2012, issue of the Review) in light of Dunham’s memoir, Famesick (2026), as well as the reputation of her HBO show, Girls. Earnest and Blair also talk about her essay “Fighting for Her Life” (from the June 27, 2019 issue), about Andrea Dworkin; how feminist thinking has shifted in the last few decades; and how cultural criticism reflects changing attitudes.
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Elaine Blair is a writer and contributor to The New York Review of Books. She has written for Harper’s, The New York Times, and The Paris Review. Next week’s episode will be a recording of Blair’s “The Loves of Lena Dunham” read by the actress Ruby McCollister.