From “A Reviewer’s Life,” by Christine Smallwood in The Yale Review:
CRITICISM IS AN ACT of autobiography. The work of making an argument, coming to a judgment, or simply choosing which books or objects to give time and attention to is inevitably, helplessly, an expression of values—and an expression of self. Our tastes tell on us as much as our syntax and tone; that mysterious compound called sensibility is formed by some strange alchemy of innate tendencies, life experiences, and material circumstances. In the pursuit of explicating a text, observing its patterns and structure, how it works, what it means, I also explicate myself—revealing what catches my interest, where my attention lingers. I might do this more, or less, intentionally, but I always do it.
From Case Study, by Graeme Macrae Burnet:
The review concluded that ‘the only notable features of this book are its irresponsible title and disdain for common sense’.
