The Power of Criticism

Evan Swensen
March 24, 2025

“It is, I think, as clear as daylight that literature can only be kept alive by criticism.”

Henry James, a master of psychological realism, understood an undeniable truth about writing—without critique, literature withers. He knew stories do not exist in a vacuum. Instead, they thrive on engagement, dialogue, and the rigorous analysis challenge.

James saw criticism as something more than judgment. A thoughtful reader unpacks themes, questions motives, and holds a mirror to an author’s work. Without this ongoing exchange, writing risks becoming stagnant, untouched by fresh ideas or evolving perspectives.

For James, literature was not a monument to be admired from a distance but a living, breathing conversation. And, like all meaningful conversations, it required participation—sometimes praise, sometimes challenge, but always engagement.

Henry James never had an audience handed to him. Born in 1843 to a well-educated but restless father, he grew up in an environment where intellectual discourse was constant, but stability was fleeting. His family moved frequently between Europe and America, exposing him to different cultures but denying him a true sense of belonging.

James aspired to be a painter as a young man, but his artistic talents fell short of his literary ambitions. Words became his medium, his canvas, his brushstrokes of meaning. Yet, the world of letters was no less demanding than the world of art.

His first novels struggled to gain traction. Critics were often merciless, dismissing his early works as overly refined, too subtle, lacking the fire of popular fiction. Instead of recoiling, James leaned into the criticism, refining his style and deepening his exploration of human consciousness. The Portrait of a Lady would later cement his reputation, its protagonist, Isabel Archer, embodying the very dilemmas that fascinated James—the conflict between personal freedom and societal expectation.

Even after his success, James never escaped scrutiny. He famously attempted to transition into playwriting, only to endure a brutal reception. His play Guy Domville ended with him stepping onto the stage to a mixture of applause and jeers. Instead of seeing this as failure, he returned to novels with renewed vigor, crafting works such as The Wings of the Dove and The Ambassadors, demonstrating a command of prose that only sharpened with time.

James’s life was not merely shaped by his own struggles but also by his relationships—both warm and adversarial. Among these, his rivalry with H.G. Wells stands out.

Wells, known for The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine, dismissed James’s intricate psychological novels as insular and overly intellectual. He famously compared James’s writing to a “nicely polished dead man.” James, in return, saw Wells’s work as lacking depth, more interested in spectacle than substance.

Yet, beneath the barbed exchanges lay an undeniable respect. Their letters reveal two writers wrestling with the same fundamental question: What should literature accomplish? Wells, ever the futurist, saw it as a means to challenge societal structures. James, the meticulous craftsman, believed in exploring the internal landscapes of human thought.

Though sometimes scathing, their debates underscored James’s conviction—literature survives because it is questioned, pushed, and held accountable. Without criticism, even the greatest stories risk fading into irrelevance.

James’s work did more than reflect the complexities of individual consciousness; it captured the anxieties of an era on the brink of modernity.

Novels such as The Bostonians tackled issues of feminism and political ideology, exploring the clash between old-world sensibilities and new-wave activism. Daisy Miller exposed the suffocating constraints of societal judgment. His later novels, like The Golden Bowl, pushed deeper into the intricacies of personal relationships and moral ambiguity.

Though he never achieved the mass popularity of contemporaries like Dickens or Twain, James redefined the novel’s potential. He proved fiction could be more than plot—it could be an excavation of the mind, a study of perception itself.

His influence on later writers is undeniable. Virginia Woolf praised him as an innovator, a craftsman of interior monologue that would inspire modernist giants like Joyce and Faulkner. Far from diminishing him, literary criticism ensured his place in the canon, forcing new generations to wrestle with his layered prose and intricate character studies.

Henry James never wrote for ease of consumption. His sentences unfurled like ivy, dense and winding, demanding patience from readers. Yet, within them lay a profound understanding of human nature, an appreciation for nuance, and a belief that literature is never static.

Criticism—sometimes kind, often unflinching—kept his work alive. It refined his vision, broadened his reach, and ensured that his novels remained subjects of discussion rather than relics on a shelf.

Aspiring writers often fear criticism, mistaking it for rejection. James saw it as something else entirely: a sign of engagement, proof that a work is worth discussing. If no one challenges a story, has it truly made an impact?

Henry James did not just write novels; he issued a challenge—to think deeper, to craft deliberately, and to embrace the voices willing to hold writing to the highest standard.

If literature can only be kept alive by criticism, it falls upon readers, writers, and critics alike to engage, question, and refine.

When the time comes, welcome the critic’s eye, for it is not an enemy but a testament to literature’s enduring power.

If words hold the power Hesse believed they did, imagine what happens when writers come together. Author Masterminds is a community of authors who understand that stories shape minds, shift perspectives, and change the world. If you’re serious about writing, refining your craft, and reaching readers who genuinely connect with your words, this is where you belong.

Email me at evan@publicationconsultants.com if you’d like to learn more about Author Masterminds.