Why We Need Literary Criticism

Literary criticism has an image problem. People associate it with academic jargon, obscure theories, and pretentious gatekeeping. But at its core, criticism is simply careful attention to how texts work — and that skill has never been more valuable.

In an era of misinformation, deep fakes, and persuasive AI-generated text, the ability to read critically — to ask who wrote this, why, for whom, and with what assumptions — is a survival skill. Literary criticism trains exactly this kind of reading.

Good criticism does not tell you what to think about a book. It shows you things you might have missed, offers frameworks for understanding, and invites you into a richer engagement with the text. It is a gift from one reader to another.