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THE FUNCTION OF CRITICISM THE FUNCTION OF CRITICISM TerryE agleton VERSO Lond•o Nne wY ork Firsptu blisbhyeV de rs1o9 84 Thise ditipounb lisbhyeV de rs2o0 05 ©TerryE aglet1o9n8 4 Allr ighrtess erYcd Them orarli ghotfst hea uthoarn dt ranslahtao,r·bsee ena sserted I 53 79 108 6 4 2 Verso UK:6 !\IcarSdt reeLto,n doWnI F OEG USr\:1 80V aricSkt reeNte,w YorkN Y 10014-4606 www.Y ersobso.ockom Versiost hei mprionftN ew LefBto oks ISBN1 -84467-055-4 BriLtiibshrC aartya loignPu uibnlgi Dcaattai on r\ catalorgeuceo rfdo rt hibso oki sa vailafbrloemt heB ritiLsihb rary LibroafCr oyn grCeastsa loging-Diant-aP ublication r\ catalroegc orfdo rt hibso oki sa vailafbrloemt heL ibraonf·C ongress Prinatnebddo unidnG reBarti tbayi n MarstBoonoS ke rviLciemsi tOexdf,o rdshire til Toril miknj aevreensnt e Preface PerhapIcs o ulbde sdte scritbheei mpulbseehi ndt his bookb yi maginitnhgem omenti nw hicahcr itisci,t ting down tob egina studoyf s omet hemeo ra uthoirs, suddenalrrye stbeyda s eotf d isturbqiunegs tioWnhsa.t ist hep oinotfs uchas tudyW?h o isi ti ntendteord each, influenciem,p resWsh?a tfu nctioanrsea scribetdos uch a critiaccatbl y s ocieatsya wholeA? c ritmiacy w rite witha ssuranacsle o nags t hec ritical inisttsieitlsuf t ion thoughttob eu nproblematOinccaetl h.a itn stituitsi on throwinn tor adicqalu estiotnh,e no new ould expect individaucatlos f c ritictiobs emc omter oublaendds elf doubtinTgh.e factth ats ucha ctsc ontintueo day, apparenitnla yl tlh eitrr aditicoonnafli denicsde o,u bt lesas s ignth atth ec risoifst hec ritiicnaslt ituhtaiso n eithenro tb eend eepleyn ougrhe gisteorrei dsb, e ing activeevlayd ed. Thea rgumeonftt hibso oki st hactr itictiosdmal ya cks alslu bstantsiovcei fauln ctiIotni .se ithepra rto ft he publirce latibornasn cohf t hel iterianryd ustryor,a mattewrh olliyn ternatlot hea cademiTheast. t hihsa s nota lwaybse ent hec asea,n dt haittn eedn ot evteond ay bet hec aseIt, ry t os howb ya d rasticsaellleyc thiivset ory oft hei nstituotfic orni ticiinEs nmg lansdi ncteh ee arly eighteecnetnht uryTh.e guiding coonfct ehpitbs r ief surveyi st haotf t he' publsipch eref'i,rd setv elopbeyd JurgeHna bermasi nh isS rtuctuTrraaln sfotrimooanft he PubliScp her(e1 96T2h)i.sc oncephta s probvye dn o meansu ncontroveristhi oavle:ri sn decisibveetlwye en ideal moadnedlh istoridceaslc riptsiuofnf,e frrso m severper oblemosf h istoripcearli odizatainodni ,n Habermas'osw n worki sn ote asidliys sociafrbolme a certaviine wo fs ocialwihsimc ihs d eepldye batabTlhee. 'publsipch eries'a notiodni ffictuorl itdo fn ostalgic, idealizcionngn otatiloinkste;h e' organic soicti ety', sometimseese mst oh aveb eend isintegrsaitnicniegt s inceptiIotin sn. o tm y intenthieorne h,o wevetro,e nter into thtehseeo retciocnatle ntiIoam n sc;o ncernerda ther tod eploays pecotfst hec oncepflte,x ibalnyd o ppor tunistictaosl hleydl, i ghotna p artichuilsatro Irtyg .o es withousta yintgh atth ihsi storriectarlo spiesbc yt n o meansp oliticdailsliyn tereIse txaemdi:n teh ihsi story as a wayo fr aisitnhgeq uestioofnw h ats ubstantsiovcei al functiocnrsi ticmiisgmh otn cea gaifnu lfiinol u ro wn timeb,e yonidt csru ciarlo loefm aintainfironmg w ithin thea cademiaec sr itioqfuru el ing-clcualstsu re. I must thainnk p articuPlearrr Ayn dersoJno,h n BarreNleli,lB eltoNno,rm an Feltes, ToFrrainlc iMso i, Mulhem,G raham PecahnedyB ernardS harratta,l olf whom have gmiev veanl uabalses istawnicttehh ibso ok. Ia m alsdoe epliyn debtteodt hew armtha ndc omrade shiopf T erry ColalnidDt asv iBde nneotftt heU niversity ofM elbournei,nw hosec ompanIyf irrseth earssoemde oft hesied eas. T.E.