68 ON SOME PRINCIPLES OF CRITICISM 



his powers of observation, his technical acquirements, are 

 brought into play at every moment by the work of art before 

 him, just as the same faculties were exercised by the artist 

 while producing that work, which is the sign and symbol of 

 the impressions made upon him by the aspects of nature, the 

 tragedy or comedy of human life, and the drama of his own 

 inner experience. The artist presents a view of the world 

 and man gained at first hand from the object. The critic 

 repeats a view of the world and man at second hand with the 

 work of art as object. The artist does not reason or explain. 

 The critic states or implies reasons for his opinion ; and it is 

 this difference between the creative and the critical act which 

 imports into the latter an obvious exercise of the judicial 

 faculty. Art itself implies judgment. By his selection of 

 subjects and manner of treatment, the artist betrays a 

 voluntary or involuntary preference, which constitutes his 

 judgment on the things he represents. But the critic, having 

 not merely to clothe impressions in form, but to give an 

 account of them, and if possible to explain his opinion 

 persuasively to the intelligence of the world, brings the act 

 of judgment, which is logically involved in every mental 

 operation, more prominently and deliberately forward. 



VII 



In criticism there is an unavoidable subjective element, 

 which will always prevent it from being in the exact sense 

 scientific. Products of the human mind are not to be classified 

 in the same way as products of nature. It is doubtful 

 whether the history of arts and literatures will ever be placed 

 upon the same footing as geology and botany. Far less have 

 we the right to expect that the criticism (as distinguished 

 from the history) of literary and artistic work will be governed 

 by a method independent of the critic's personality. 



In criticism the mind of one individual, qualified by 

 certain idiosyncratic properties, and further qualified by the 

 conditions of his race and age, is brought to bear upon the 

 product of another human mind, itself qualified by certain 



