In this day and age of splintered and broken schools of literary theory, where nobody seems to agree what is the right way to go about reading and discussin literature, W.J. Bate's "Criticism: the Major Texts" is a wistful reminder of the days when critics were far more certain. For several decades after its publication, this collection was the classroom standard for the subject; it still serves as the best collection for any study of the history of literary theory. The introductions are brief but exacting; the texts are chosen with judicious editing; the lessons learned are not easily forgotten. In short, a wonderful read for anyone with a literary bent.