The Death of the Critic

The critic has long been a reviled figure—at best, the mere handmaiden of the 'creative' arts, and at worst, a parasite upon them. As Brendan Behan famously put it:

"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem. They know how it is done. They have seen it done every day. But they are unable to do it themselves."

In an age dominated by book clubs, celebrity endorsements, and bloggers, one must ask: What role is there now for the professional critic as an arbiter of artistic value?

• Are literature and the arts merely a question of personal taste?
• Is one opinion 'as good as another'?

Rónán McDonald's The Death of the Critic seeks to defend the role of the public critic. In this forceful, accessible, and eloquent book, McDonald argues against the recent claims that all artistic value is simply relative and subjective.

Key Themes Explored:

• Why high-profile, public critics such as William Empson, F.R. Leavis, or Lionel Trilling became much rarer in the later twentieth century.
• The cultural and academic climate of both the UK and the USA.
• The importance of literary and artistic culture in the public sphere.

This controversial and timely intervention will resonate with scholars, students, critics, and anyone concerned with the evolving role of criticism in contemporary culture.