Literary critics and critiques

[IceM]

In other threads, other respondents and I bickered over the role of literary critiques in regards to the importance of a novel. I believe that critiques are one's opinion on a novel; albeit, from a more educated individual than myself. Typically this critic would cite historical impacts related to this novel as well as the implications from the characters, themes, symbols, and motifs. Nonetheless, this is one's opinion. Other members cite that literary criticism distinct from the accepted criticsm is pointless. Our opinions differ, and that's perfectly fine. However, I want to know, what is truly the significance of literary criticism?

What impact does it have on what books you choose to read? Does it refine your taste? Does it impact how you read a novel? I'm curious to know.

[JBI]

Literary critics and critiques can be divided I think more or less in two three categories.

1) popular critics who review, and aught not to be taken too seriously,
2) critics who deal with texts,
3) critics who deal with theoretical approaches

The third of these is perhaps the most useful until you get a grounding it in - certainly the most multi-disciplinary. The second are probably the most interesting to read, so I will dwell on them.

Generally they can show things about texts you wouldn't read, but obviously, it depends on their approach, quality, and style, as well as what they write about.