There’s been a handful of critics I’ve read through the years who’ve put out works like this. Early American criticism almost universally looked like this, and the appeal must be quite alluring for iconic critics who both do and don’t specialize. This is a collection of essays — 5 to 10 pages each — in a literary and cultural touchstone kind of way. James avowedly tells us from the beginning he is not looking for a universal understanding of “Western” writers, and he has not […]