Join us for a talk by Merve Emre, New Yorker contributingwriterand the director of the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism at Wesleyan University, on the role of criticism in an age when everyone is, or can be, a critic.
In recent years, the means of criticism have been democratized by technology while universities and media institutions have come under attack for being “elitist” and out of touch. How do these facts change our understanding of the public function of criticism, and of the role of the professional critic? Does Matthew Arnold’s belief that the critic’s job is to “elevate culture” still hold up in the age of BookTok, Goodreads and Substack?
The Function of Criticism
Wednesday, February 4 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m. Swift Hall, 3rd Floor 1025 E. 58th St. Chicago, IL 60637 Free and open to the public
About The Public Thinking Lecture Series: Founded in 2023, the Public Thinking Lecture Series at the University of Chicago brings distinguished writers, critics, and journalists to campus to discuss the challenges of engaging in the public conversation today. Co-organized by The Point Program for Public Thinking and the Parrhesia Program for Public Thought and Discourse, the series seeks to inspire a more thoughtful, self-reflective, and pluralistic public discourse.
Since it was founded in 2009, The Point has remained faithful to the Socratic idea that philosophy is not just a rarefied activity for scholars and academics but an ongoing conversation that helps us all live more examined lives. We rely on reader support to continue publishing.
