If Not Critical by Eric Griffiths review – lit-crit masterclasses

An age has passed ... A collection of the controversial critic’s lectures showcases his distinctive style and astonishing range

This is a book of 10 lectures by a literary critic generally considered to be one of the greatest of his age. That age has now passed: Eric Griffiths died in September, having been a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge for more than 30 years.

Griffiths was an old-school don who would certainly fare ill in an age of student feedback forms and an academic culture of publish or perish. He published just one complete book, The Printed Voice of Victorian Poetry (1989), which consists of a series of detailed readings of the work of Tennyson, Browning, Hopkins and others, and attends to the challenges faced by both writers and readers in interpreting the concept of “voice” in its various meanings and implications. His own tone and intent could be difficult to interpret. Ferocious and exacting, he could be fabulously rude: 20 years ago he became momentarily famous after he was accused by an applicant to Trinity of mocking her accent and being rude about her home county of Essex. He was probably joking – or drunk. Neither, clearly, is any kind of excuse, and he reduced many students to tears. But he could also be extraordinarily kind.

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from Books | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2SrktOq