Better Living Through Criticism: How to Think about Art Pleasure Beauty and Truth

<p>Few could explain let alone seek out a career in criticism. Yet what A. O. Scott shows in <i>Better Living Through Criticism</i> is that we are in fact all critics: because critical thinking informs almost every aspect of artistic creation of civil action of interpersonal life. With penetrating insight and humour Scott shows that while individual critics &#150; himself included &#150; can make mistakes and find flaws where they shouldn't criticism as a discipline is one of the noblest most creative and urgent activities.<br><br>Using his own film criticism as a starting point &#150; everything from an infamous dismissal of the international blockbuster <i>The Avengers</i> to his intense affection for Pixar's animated <i>Ratatouille</i> &#150; Scott expands outwards easily guiding readers through the complexities of Rilke and Shelley the origins of Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones the power of Marina Abramovic and 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' Scott shows that real criticism was and always will be the breath of fresh air that allows true creativity to thrive. As he puts it: &#145;The time for criticism is always now because the imperative to think clearly never goes away.&#146;</p>