“Literary critics, however, frequently suffer from a curious belief that every author longs to extend the boundaries of literary art, wants to explore new dimensions of the human spirit, and if he doesn't, he should be ashamed of himself.”

— Robertson Davies

Somerset Maugham (1982).

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Literary critics, however, frequently suffer from a curious belief that every author longs to extend the boundaries of …" by Robertson Davies?

Robertson Davies 282

Canadian journalist, playwright, professor, critic, and nov… 1913–1995

Clive James (1939–2019) Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet, translator and memoirist

'Introduction'
Essays and reviews, Glued to the Box (1983)

“He suffers from one great literary defect, which is often found in lonely geniuses: he never knows when to stop.”

W. H. Auden book Forewords and Afterwords

On Søren Kierkegaard, in "A Knight of Doleful Countenance", p. 192
Forewords and Afterwords (1973)
Context: He suffers from one great literary defect, which is often found in lonely geniuses: he never knows when to stop. Lonely people are apt to fall in love with the sound of their own voice, as Narcissus fell in love with his reflection, not out of conceit but out of despair of finding another who will listen and respond.

“First one gets works of art, then criticism of them, then criticism of the criticism, and, finally, a book on The Literary Situation, a book which tells you all about writers, critics, publishing, paperbacked books, the tendencies of the (literary) time, what sells and how much, what writers wear and drink and want, what their wives wear and drink and want, and so on.”

Randall Jarrell (1914–1965) poet, critic, novelist, essayist

“ ‘Very Graceful Are the Uses of Culture’ ”, p. 211
Kipling, Auden & Co: Essays and Reviews 1935-1964 (1980)

“There is a technical, literary term for those who mistake the opinions and beliefs of characters in a novel for those of the author. The term is 'idiot'.”

Larry Niven (1938) American writer

“A literary critic of experience never defines anything.”

Northrop Frye (1912–1991) Canadian literary critic and literary theorist

Source: "Quotes", Interviews with Northrop Frye (2008), p. 4

“He cut himself off from the Spirit of God. Whether or not we get around to holding a court doesn't matter that much; he has cut himself off from the Spirit of the Lord.”

Henry D. Moyle (1889–1963) Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Conversation with President w:Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve driving back from Arizona and talking about a man who destroyed the faith of young people from the vantage point of a teaching position, but who had not yet been formally excommunicated. Reported in The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than The Intellect, a talk given by Pres. Packer at the Fifth Annual Church Educational System Religious Educators' Symposium, 22 August, 1981, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. For an official transcript see Brigham Young University Studies, Summer 1981.
Quotes as an apostle