The American Vandal Literary Sociology a.k.a. The Institutional Turn a.k.a The Spreadsheet School of Literary Criticism
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Jul 1, 2025 
Dan Sinykin, a distinguished English professor at Emory, joins novelist Brandon Taylor, McGill's Alexander Manshel, and USC's J.D. Connor to delve into literary sociology. They discuss whether the institutional turn in criticism carries a feminine ethos and its ties to the Post45 Collective. The conversation highlights the limitations of data-driven diversity initiatives in literature and critiques historical biases against women's literary contributions. They also explore the balance between collective engagement and intrinsic literary qualities, alongside the evolving dynamics of literary criticism.
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Brandon Taylor's Spreadsheet Critique
- Brandon Taylor critiques the "spreadsheet men" for reducing literature to racial and quantitative analysis.
- He values singular artistic expression over data-driven publishing trends.
Quantification Risks in Criticism
- Quantification in literary studies risks adopting capitalist rationalization logic.
- Starting analysis with numbers can obscure underlying ideologies influencing literature.
Data vs. Literary Criticism
- Quantitative analysis describes publishing, not literature itself.
- Human interpretation must transform data into meaningful literary critique.
