Something Speaks to Me Where Criticism Begins

Criticism begins when we put down a book to tell someone about it. It is what we do when we face a work or event that bowls us over and makes us scramble for a response. As Michel Chaouli argues, criticism involves three moments: Something speaks to me. I must tell you about it. But I don't know how. The heart of criticism, no matter its form, lies in these surges of thoughts and feelings. Criticism arises from the fundamental need to share what overwhelms us.
We tend to associate criticism with scholarship and journalism. But Chaouli is not describing professional criticism, but what he calls "poetic criticism"-a staging ground for surprise, dread, delight, comprehension, and incomprehension. Written in the mode of a philosophical essay,
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