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An Experiment in Criticism

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of inducing a passion to re-read and imparting experience which changes a reader's worldview. Lewis suggests that books which are capable of doing this may prove to have enduring merit regardless of their genre. He encourages us to avoid judging the literary merit of books based on traditional criteria.
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In the book, Lewis outlines some of the differences between his two types of readers. For example, one characteristic of a unliterary reader is the argument "I've read it before", which is a conclusive reason not to read a book. In contrast, literary readers reread books many times, savouring certain
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Lewis also argues that judging books by whether they are "lowbrow" or "highbrow" is not necessarily fruitful; many "lowbrow" books prove to be valuable to a literary reader willing to approach without prejudgment. He noted that books classified as "lowbrow", such as science fiction, are also capable
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in which he proposes that the quality of books should be measured not by how they are written, but by how often they are re-read. To do this, the author describes two kinds of readers. The "unliterary" reader tends not to reread the same book, while the "literary" reader does. He suggests the
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categorization of books as either "highbrow" or "lowbrow" is deficient in that it fails to appreciate those qualities which have merited re-reading.
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passages, and attempting to glean more from subsequent readings.
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Lewis 727:CS Lewis Nature Reserve 858:1961 non-fiction books 629:They Asked for a Paper 863:Literature book stubs 478:The Magician's Nephew 470:The Horse and His Boy 405:That Hideous Strength 327:The Screwtape Letters 319:The Pilgrim's Regress 853:Books by C. S. Lewis 765:Freud's Last Session 541:The Abolition of Man 509:The Allegory of Love 653:The Discarded Image 525:The Problem of Pain 517:The Personal Heresy 416:(manuscript) (1977) 23: 795:literary criticism 645:Letters to Malcolm 358:Letters to Malcolm 343:Till We Have Faces 281:Spirits in Bondage 173:is a 1961 book by 21: 810: 809: 775: 774: 565:Mere Christianity 496: 495: 379:The Space Trilogy 335:The Great Divorce 166: 165: 87:Publication place 875: 831: 824: 817: 789: 782: 710:Lewis's trilemma 621:A Grief Observed 597:Studies in Words 573:Surprised by Joy 462:The Silver Chair 311: 310: 257:C. S. Lewis 250: 243: 236: 227: 226: 152: 126: 78:Publication date 31: 24: 20: 883: 882: 878: 877: 876: 874: 873: 872: 838: 837: 836: 835: 778: 776: 771: 693:Douglas Gresham 675: 669:God in the Dock 661:Of Other Worlds 492: 486:The Last Battle 427: 419: 372: 302: 268: 259: 254: 202: 197: 184: 141: 95:Media type 79: 34: 17: 12: 11: 5: 881: 871: 870: 865: 860: 855: 850: 834: 833: 826: 819: 811: 808: 807: 790: 773: 772: 770: 769: 761: 753: 745: 737: 729: 724: 717: 712: 707: 702: 696: 690: 683: 681: 677: 676: 674: 673: 665: 657: 649: 641: 633: 625: 617: 609: 601: 593: 589:The Four Loves 585: 577: 569: 561: 553: 545: 537: 529: 521: 513: 504: 502: 498: 497: 494: 493: 491: 490: 482: 474: 466: 458: 450: 446:Prince Caspian 442: 433: 431: 426:The Chronicles 421: 420: 418: 417: 413:The Dark Tower 409: 401: 393: 384: 382: 374: 373: 371: 370: 362: 354: 347: 339: 331: 323: 314: 308: 304: 303: 301: 300: 292: 285: 276: 274: 270: 269: 264: 261: 260: 253: 252: 245: 238: 230: 224: 223: 215: 201: 200:External links 198: 196: 193: 183: 180: 164: 163: 154: 146: 145: 142: 137: 134: 133: 128: 120: 119: 114: 108: 107: 104: 100: 99: 96: 92: 91: 88: 84: 83: 80: 77: 74: 73: 68: 64: 63: 58: 54: 53: 50: 46: 45: 40: 36: 35: 32: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 880: 869: 866: 864: 861: 859: 856: 854: 851: 849: 846: 845: 843: 832: 827: 825: 820: 818: 813: 812: 806: 804: 800: 796: 791: 788: 784: 783: 779: 767: 766: 762: 759: 758: 754: 751: 750: 746: 743: 742: 738: 735: 734: 730: 728: 725: 723: 722: 718: 716: 713: 711: 708: 706: 703: 700: 697: 694: 691: 688: 685: 684: 682: 678: 671: 670: 666: 663: 662: 658: 655: 654: 650: 647: 646: 642: 639: 638: 634: 631: 630: 626: 623: 622: 618: 615: 614: 610: 607: 606: 602: 599: 598: 594: 591: 590: 586: 583: 582: 578: 575: 574: 570: 567: 566: 562: 559: 558: 554: 551: 550: 546: 543: 542: 538: 535: 534: 530: 527: 526: 522: 519: 518: 514: 511: 510: 506: 505: 503: 499: 488: 487: 483: 480: 479: 475: 472: 471: 467: 464: 463: 459: 456: 455: 451: 448: 447: 443: 440: 439: 435: 434: 432: 430: 429: 422: 415: 414: 410: 407: 406: 402: 399: 398: 394: 391: 390: 386: 385: 383: 381: 380: 375: 368: 367: 363: 360: 359: 355: 352: 348: 345: 344: 340: 337: 336: 332: 329: 328: 324: 321: 320: 316: 315: 312: 309: 305: 298: 297: 293: 290: 286: 283: 282: 278: 277: 275: 271: 267: 262: 258: 251: 246: 244: 239: 237: 232: 231: 228: 222: 221: 216: 213: 209: 208: 204: 203: 192: 188: 179: 176: 172: 171: 162: 158: 155: 153: 151:LC Class 147: 143: 140: 139:Dewey Decimal 135: 132: 129: 127: 121: 118: 117:0-521-42281-7 115: 113: 109: 105: 101: 97: 93: 89: 85: 81: 75: 72: 69: 65: 62: 59: 55: 51: 47: 44: 41: 37: 33:First edition 30: 25: 19: 803:expanding it 792: 777: 763: 755: 747: 739: 731: 719: 715:The Inklings 699:Warren Lewis 687:Joy Davidman 667: 659: 651: 643: 635: 627: 619: 612: 611: 603: 595: 587: 579: 571: 563: 555: 547: 539: 531: 523: 515: 507: 484: 476: 468: 460: 452: 444: 436: 424: 411: 403: 395: 387: 377: 364: 356: 341: 333: 325: 317: 294: 279: 266:Bibliography 219: 206: 189: 185: 169: 168: 167: 18: 768:(2023 film) 760:(2021 film) 752:(1993 film) 749:Shadowlands 744:(1989 play) 741:Shadowlands 736:(1985 film) 733:Shadowlands 672:(1970–1971) 560:(1949/1980) 501:Non-fiction 291:" (c. 1925) 175:C. S. Lewis 43:C. S. Lewis 842:Categories 397:Perelandra 212:Faded Page 195:References 705:The Kilns 701:(brother) 695:(stepson) 428:of Narnia 67:Publisher 61:Criticism 549:Miracles 353:" (1959) 214:(Canada) 161:PN85.L48 49:Language 680:Related 307:Fiction 182:Outline 131:1018690 90:England 57:Subject 52:English 689:(wife) 664:(1966) 656:(1964) 648:(1964) 640:(1963) 632:(1962) 624:(1961) 616:(1961) 608:(1960) 600:(1960) 592:(1960) 584:(1958) 576:(1955) 568:(1952) 552:(1947) 544:(1943) 536:(1942) 528:(1940) 520:(1939) 512:(1936) 489:(1956) 481:(1955) 473:(1954) 465:(1953) 457:(1952) 449:(1951) 441:(1950) 408:(1945) 400:(1943) 392:(1938) 369:(1985) 361:(1964) 346:(1956) 338:(1945) 330:(1942) 322:(1933) 299:(1926) 289:Reason 284:(1919) 273:Poetry 159:  39:Author 797:is a 366:Boxen 296:Dymer 144:801.9 103:Pages 98:Print 799:stub 125:OCLC 112:ISBN 82:1961 210:at 157:LCC 106:142 844:: 830:e 823:t 816:v 805:. 349:" 287:" 249:e 242:t 235:v

Index


C. S. Lewis
Criticism
Cambridge University Press
ISBN
0-521-42281-7
OCLC
1018690
Dewey Decimal
LC Class
LCC
PN85.L48
C. S. Lewis
An Experiment in Criticism
Faded Page
The Complete Review's review of An Experiment in Criticism
v
t
e
C. S. Lewis
Bibliography
Spirits in Bondage
Reason
Dymer
The Pilgrim's Regress
The Screwtape Letters
The Great Divorce
Till We Have Faces
Screwtape Proposes a Toast
Letters to Malcolm

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