It is a truth universally acknowledged that literary critics are the most annoying people in the world. Overseeing the development of a literary culture, which is part of a critic’s job, is a process of fits and starts. Critics play a role in determining which books published today should be branded “instant classics,” which authors are best described as “little-known” and which books published in past decades or centuries merit re-examination. Older books like “The Dud Avocado” and “Stoner” — and even “Moby-Dick” and “The Great Gatsby” — became more famous upon reprinting than they had been when originally published. But this is a feature, not a bug: The journey of discovering literature — for critics and also for everyday readers — is made of detours.

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Persons: snobs, “ Stoner, Moby, Dick ”, —, ”