Holland Cotter,"The Art is in the Detail," NYT, 14 March, reviews"Anatomy of a Masterpiece: How to Read Chinese Paintings," an exhibit of 9th to 15th century Chinese painting at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Robert Alter,"Jeanne's Way," TNR, 13 March, reviews Evelyne Bloch-dano's Madame Proust: A Biography. Hat tip.

Our colleague, Scott McLemee's"What's Left," NYT, 16 March, reviews Eric Alterman's Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America.

Atlanta was hit last night by a tornado. Fortunately, there are few injuries and no reports, yet at least, of any deaths. The destruction of property, however, is widespread – from Centennial Olympic Park, where a building collapsed and a hole was blown in the roof of the Georgia Dome. The storm tore through the downtown and out a corridor of historic districts that includes Auburn Avenue, Oakland Cemetery, and Cabbagetown, where four floors of an apartment building at Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills pancaked on each other. The city awakes to assess the damage, with reports of more severe weather on the way.