The Critical Game

"The Critical Game" by John Albert Macy is a set of essays that looks closely at criticism as a key part of literature in the early 1900s. The book thinks about criticism not just as a way to judge books but as an important piece of art itself, looking at authors like Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and Nietzsche. It starts by saying that critics bring their own ideas and voices to their writing and that their work is vital for understanding and enjoying literature, even if authors don't always like what they say. Macy believes good criticism makes people think and feel, just like good literature does, and he shows how criticism and creativity work together, making critics as important as the authors they write about.