An Experiment In Criticism
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Edition: First Edition
Condition remarks:
Book: Very good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Boards in good condition. Binding remains tight. Clean and bright copy.
What if the true measure of a book's worth lies not in the text itself, but in the quality of the reader who receives it? In An Experiment in Criticism, C. S. Lewis boldly inverts the traditional framework of literary evaluation, arguing that we ought to judge literature by the kind of reading it invites rather than by abstract critical standards imposed from without. Published in 1961, this landmark work of literary theory presents a radical yet elegantly reasoned proposition: that a good book is one capable of being read with genuine attention, openness, and imaginative engagement — a standard that cuts across genre and cultural prestige alike. Lewis writes with the characteristic clarity and wit that defined his public intellectual career, drawing on his vast knowledge of classical and medieval literature to challenge the gatekeeping tendencies of mid-century academic criticism. An Experiment in Criticism argues passionately for the democratisation of reading, insisting that the act of losing oneself fully in a narrative is not escapism but a profound enlargement of human experience. For anyone who has ever felt judged for their reading choices — or who has questioned the authority of the literary establishment — Lewis's enduring provocation remains as urgent and illuminating as ever.
Author: C. S. Lewis
Format: Hardback
Published: 1961, Cambridge University Press
Genre: Literary theory
Edition: First Edition
Condition remarks:
Book: Very good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Boards in good condition. Binding remains tight. Clean and bright copy.
What if the true measure of a book's worth lies not in the text itself, but in the quality of the reader who receives it? In An Experiment in Criticism, C. S. Lewis boldly inverts the traditional framework of literary evaluation, arguing that we ought to judge literature by the kind of reading it invites rather than by abstract critical standards imposed from without. Published in 1961, this landmark work of literary theory presents a radical yet elegantly reasoned proposition: that a good book is one capable of being read with genuine attention, openness, and imaginative engagement — a standard that cuts across genre and cultural prestige alike. Lewis writes with the characteristic clarity and wit that defined his public intellectual career, drawing on his vast knowledge of classical and medieval literature to challenge the gatekeeping tendencies of mid-century academic criticism. An Experiment in Criticism argues passionately for the democratisation of reading, insisting that the act of losing oneself fully in a narrative is not escapism but a profound enlargement of human experience. For anyone who has ever felt judged for their reading choices — or who has questioned the authority of the literary establishment — Lewis's enduring provocation remains as urgent and illuminating as ever.