[2] Her doctoral dissertation in English at Princeton University was titled "Political Disappointment: A Partial History of a Feeling"; she received her PhD in 2018.

[2] After providing historical information and context about each "political disappointment" she focuses on, Marcus conducts close readings of relevant works.

Du Bois' "Sorrow Songs" in The Souls of Black Folk, and discusses the Popular Front era alongside Tillie Olsen's writing and Lead Belly's music.

[2] In December 2022, Publishers Weekly selected Political Disappointment as one of the top 10 "Essays and Literary Criticism" publications scheduled for Spring 2023.

Feeley also expressed appreciation of Marcus' treatment of disappointment as a "fundamentally generative" force in contrast to disillusionment or disavowal.