English Literature: What is Literary Criticism?

Literary Criticism is the "interpretive work written by readers of literary texts, especially professional ones (who are known as literary critics). It is "criticism" not because it is negative or corrective but rather because those who write criticism ask probing, analytical, 'critical' questions about the works they read."

Source: LitWeb by W.W. Norton

"Samuel Johnson by Joshua Reynolds 2" by Joshua Reynolds is licensed under Public Domain