Criticism is a serious engagement with the pleasures of fiction too!

A Future for Criticism | Belsey

Catherine Belsey usually has her trademark witty liners splurged across her pages in equal measure albeit in varying degrees!

One of her latest books titled, A Future for Criticism is no exception to this credo!

In this book, Belsey traces back through time, the original intent of a teaching agenda, in days past, which focussed much on persuading students to ‘enjoy’ Shakespeare, Milton, and Wordsworth, but in practice ‘this stern imperative was supported by morality, and moral severity, not pleasure!’

And to this end, citing Arnold, she says, that, Matthew Arnold, promoted culture as nothing less than ‘a pursuit of our total perfection’.

But Belsey begs to differ!

To her, then, criticism ain’t necessarily synonymous with ethics, morality, responsibility, politics, or agency. It is more than an assessment of a text’s commitment to civic virtue. And this includes an understanding of textuality itself and a serious engagement with the pleasures of fiction too!

Therefore, ‘If criticism is to promote morality, let it at least be a progressive morality’, she pleads!