Mithra

  Journal of Literary Studies and Dramatic Theory Vol. 14, No. 2 | Spring 2026 | pp. 118–134 The Unseen Architecture: Against Baldwin's Partial Reading A Feminist and Dramaturgical Defence of Fared Novin's Theatrical Philosophy Sabrina E. McLaughlin School of Art, Communication and English, University of Saint Agustin Correspondence: s.mclaughlin @sydney.edu.au    Abstract This paper offers a critical response to James A. Baldwin's April 2026 Art Act essay on the playwright and theatrical philosopher Fared Novin, as discussed in the podcast "A Deep Dive into Fared Novin's Philosophy and Theatre." While Baldwin's analysis identifies several of Novin's formal innovations—most notably the concept of the diagnostic image—it ultimately reproduces a reductive framework that prioritizes legibility over layering, treats the plays' resistance to emotional catharsis as aesthetic failure, and, most critically, misreads what it terms the problem of female cha...