“ A critic really worthy of the name ought to be an analyst, devoid of preferences or passions; like an expert in pictures, he should simply estimate the artistic value of the object of art submitted to him. ”
Guy de Maupassant, Pierre and Jean (1888). copy citation
| Author | Guy de Maupassant |
|---|---|
| Source | Pierre and Jean |
| Topic | passion critics |
| Date | 1888 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by Clara Bell |
| Weblink | https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Pierre_and_Jean_(Bell,_1902) |
Context
“Now the critic who assumes that "the novel" can be defined in conformity with the ideas he has based on the novels he prefers, and that certain immutable rules of construction can be laid down, will always find himself at war with the artistic temperament of a writer who introduces a new manner of work. A critic really worthy of the name ought to be an analyst, devoid of preferences or passions; like an expert in pictures, he should simply estimate the artistic value of the object of art submitted to him. His intelligence, open to everything, must so far supersede his individuality as to leave him free to discover and praise books which as a man he may not like, but which as a judge he must duly appreciate.
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