Edmund Wilson, Henry James, and the Function of Criticism

Edmund Wilson read widely and in a number of languages, acquiring a truly cosmopolitan perspective. Much of this article talks about Wilson\u27s numerous works analyzing and interpreting the work of Henry James. Wilson is an ideal touchstone for either specialists or beginners in literature; an essay such as The Ambiguity of Henry James is one example where he has written about a significant author (in this case a popularly and critically acclaimed one) in such a way that enables readers to appreciate the writer, his complexity, and his resiliency, all the more keenly