James Ley is the Editor of the Sydney Review of Books. His work as a literary critic has appeared in numerous publications, including The Age, Australian Book Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and the Times Literary Supplement.

• AcknowledgementsIntroduction1. A Degree of Insanity: Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)2. Fire from the Flint: William Hazlitt (1778-1830)3. A Thyesteän Banquet of Clap-Trap: Matthew Arnold (1822-1888)4. The Principles of Modern Heresy: T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)5. ‘I do like the West and wish it would stop declining’: Lionel Trilling (1905-1975)6. The Secular Wood: James Wood (1965- )PostscriptBibliographyIndex

The Critic in the Modern World is an exceptionally intelligent and well-written study, showing how some of the greatest English-language critics have engaged with literature and the world. Like the critics he writes about, Ley is addressing not the specialist but the generally educated reader, and anyone who cares about the tradition of criticism will find him a rewarding and enlightening guide.

James Ley is the Editor of the Sydney Review of Books. His work as a literary critic has appeared in numerous publications, including The Age, Australian Book Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and the Times Literary Supplement.

• AcknowledgementsIntroduction1. A Degree of Insanity: Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)2. Fire from the Flint: William Hazlitt (1778-1830)3. A Thyesteän Banquet of Clap-Trap: Matthew Arnold (1822-1888)4. The Principles of Modern Heresy: T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)5. ‘I do like the West and wish it would stop declining’: Lionel Trilling (1905-1975)6. The Secular Wood: James Wood (1965- )PostscriptBibliographyIndex

The Critic in the Modern World is an exceptionally intelligent and well-written study, showing how some of the greatest English-language critics have engaged with literature and the world. Like the critics he writes about, Ley is addressing not the specialist but the generally educated reader, and anyone who cares about the tradition of criticism will find him a rewarding and enlightening guide.

James Ley is the Editor of the Sydney Review of Books. His work as a literary critic has appeared in numerous publications, including The Age, Australian Book Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and the Times Literary Supplement.

• AcknowledgementsIntroduction1. A Degree of Insanity: Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)2. Fire from the Flint: William Hazlitt (1778-1830)3. A Thyesteän Banquet of Clap-Trap: Matthew Arnold (1822-1888)4. The Principles of Modern Heresy: T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)5. ‘I do like the West and wish it would stop declining’: Lionel Trilling (1905-1975)6. The Secular Wood: James Wood (1965- )PostscriptBibliographyIndex

The Critic in the Modern World is an exceptionally intelligent and well-written study, showing how some of the greatest English-language critics have engaged with literature and the world. Like the critics he writes about, Ley is addressing not the specialist but the generally educated reader, and anyone who cares about the tradition of criticism will find him a rewarding and enlightening guide.