An Experiment in Criticism

An Experiment in Criticism (1961) In this book, Lewis proposes a reversal of the usual way of judging literature. Instead of labeling books as “high” or “low” and then evaluating their readers, he suggests we examine how readers use books. He distinguishes between “unliterary” reading—using books merely for distraction or confirmation of one’s prejudices—and “literary” reading, where a reader seeks to enter fully into another’s experience, imaginatively inhabiting the work. A truly good book, he argues, is one that invites and sustains this richer mode of reading for many different people over time. Lewis explores themes such as re-reading, genre prejudice, and the communal nature of reading, showing that openness, humility, and imagination matter more than social class or intellectual status. The book is both a defense of popular genres and a meditation on why we read at all, offering a generous, experiential approach to literary criticism rather than rigid theory.