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What are the responsibilities of the literary critic? How might readers find value in literary criticism? These are the questions Daniel Green implicitly raises throughout Beyond the Blurb as he examines the most essential issues a critic must consider. Part 1 of the collection (titled "Critical Issues") establishes the broader perspective from which to regard the literary critic's efforts; Part 2 ("Critical Failures") discusses the flawed strategies of specific critics (including prominent figures such as James Wood and Christopher Hitchens); and Part 3 ("Critical Successes") concludes with a survey of the successful strategies of the most accomplished critics, showing how criticism at its best can contribute meaningfully to the reading experience.
Intended for academic and general readers alike, this insightful collection of essays takes a contrarian attitude toward current orthodoxies and offers a critical philosophy that reaffirms the value of both criticism and literature.
Daniel Green is a literary critic whose essays and reviews have appeared in numerous publications both online and in print. He maintains the literary weblog, The Reading Experience, which he created in 2004.
Read the reviews for Beyond the Blurb: On Critics and Criticism here.
Read some quotes from the book here.
Daniel Green interviewed by Edwin Turner at Biblioklept about Beyond the Blurb.
