Definitions: Essays in Contemporary Criticism [First Series]

"Definitions: Essays in Contemporary Criticism [First Series]" by Henry Seidel Canby is a collection of essays that looks at modern books and writing. Canby writes about how books relate to American ways of life and what people were thinking at the time. He breaks down different types of stories and big ideas, pointing out how feelings, dreams of a perfect world, and what’s going on in society affect the people who write stories and the people who read them. Canby starts by talking about American books and how they often lean on being overly emotional. He compares the tough reality of American life with people wanting gentle stories with perfect characters and storylines. He thinks being too emotional and too focused on a perfect world can make stories lose touch with what’s real. This sets up his exploration into what shapes stories, like the culture, what society expects, and what people hope to get out of popular stories, helping people better understand what books meant back then.