Tuesday, 30 March 2010

The Quarterly Review - First Principles

I've done some reading in the early days of the Murrays' mainstay...the Quarterly Review...but first, a principle.

You don't read a book review magazine
Because you're interested in buying books
The whole point of reading these articles
is NOT to have to read the books
but still be able to talk about them

That, it seems to me,is the practical difference
between a review and a critique and criticism

The review tells you
whether or not
to read the book or see the play

The critique means you don't have to
It's been read for you by someone like you

(Criticism is a dialogue with the book
or play...an entirely different art
Folk who write for the papers are rarely critics)

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