An Experiment in Criticism
Worth buying if: You want a compact, idea-driven book on how to read.
Skip it if: You expect a technical, academic textbook on literary theory.
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780521422819. The Amazon link uses this ISBN, so the product page should open to the edition shown here.
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Summary
In An Experiment in Criticism Lewis reframes literary judgment as an exercise in attention and response, inviting readers to test criticism by how they read and why they read, across genres and experience levels.
Why this book now
Lewis’s plea for imaginative reading offers a corrective to quick judgments in today’s fast-moving media landscape.
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Best for readers who...
Good fit if you want...
- You want a compact, idea-driven book on how to read.
- You’re interested in C. S. Lewis’s nonfiction on literature and imagination.
- When you like moral complexity, the author stays focused on texture and place.
- You expect a technical, academic textbook on literary theory.
- You prefer plot-driven narratives or long, procedural argumentation.
- You are specifically hunting for the newest framing rather than a backlist perspective.
Decided it fits?
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780521422819
Worth buying if: You want a compact, idea-driven book on how to read.
Skip it if: You expect a technical, academic textbook on literary theory.
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.
Reader guide
Cues to help you decide faster.
Reading commitment
Quick Easy to move through
At 142 pages, this Cambridge University Press edition is a short, focused read—suitable for a few focused sittings or a reading group discussion.
What stands out here
This 1992 Cambridge University Press edition presents Lewis’s concise essays on reading and criticism in a single accessible volume.
Best way to approach it
Approach it slowly, pausing to test Lewis’s suggested ‘experiments’ on your own reading habits and specific texts.
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Exact edition: ISBN-13 9780521422819
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.