The book is a collection of essays that define the most important principles of literary criticism and examine their relevance in the works of specific authors, including James Wood, Harold Bloom, and Susan Sontag. Intended for both academic and general readers, this insightful collection takes a stance contrary to contemporary orthodoxies—most notably in its assessment of the flawed strategies employed by prominent critics—and proposes the foundations of a philosophy that affirms the value not only of criticism, but of literature itself.