The average English critic is a don manque, hopelessly parochial when not exaggeratedly teutonophile, over whose desk must surely hang the motto (presumably in Gothic lettering) 'Above all no enthusiasm'.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- English critics lack enthusiasm and swing between narrow local views and excessive German admiration.
- In plain terms
- British reviewers dislike excitement and are either too local or too obsessed with German culture.
- What can you take from it?
- Criticism should balance enthusiasm with open-mindedness.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is enthusiasm bad for critics?
- How should critics approach foreign art?
Another view
Many English critics have been enthusiastic and cosmopolitan.
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