| n. | 1. | The rules and principles which regulate the practice of the critic; the art of judging with knowledge and propriety of the beauties and faults of a literary performance, or of a production in the fine arts; |
| 2. | The act of criticising; a critical judgment passed or expressed; a critical observation or detailed examination and review; a critique; animadversion; censure. |
| Noun | 1. | criticism - disapproval expressed by pointing out faults or shortcomings; "the senator received severe criticism from his opponent" Synonyms: unfavorable judgment |
| 2. | criticism - a serious examination and judgment of something; "constructive criticism is always appreciated" Synonyms: critique | |
| 3. | criticism - a written evaluation of a work of literature Synonyms: literary criticism |
CRITICISM. The art of judging skillfully of the merits or beauties, defects
or faults of a literary or scientific performance, or of a production of
art; when the criticism is reduced to writing, the writing itself is called
a criticism.
2. Liberty of criticism must be allowed, or there would be neither
purity of taste nor of morals. Fair discussion, is essentially necessary to,
the truth of history and advancement of science. That publication therefore,
is not a libel, which has for its object, not to injure the reputation of an
individual, but to correct misrepresentations of facts, to refute
sophistical reasoning, to expose a vicious taste for literature, or to
censure what is hostile to morality. Campb. R. 351-2. As every man who
publishes a book commits himself to the judgment of the public, any one may
comment on his performance. If the commentator does not step aside from the
work, or introduce fiction for the purpose of condemnation, he exercises a
fair and legitimate right. And the critic does a good service to the public
who writes down any vapid or useless publication such as ought never to have
appeared; and, although the author may suffer a loss from it, the law does
not consider such loss an injury; because it is a loss which the party ought
to sustain. It is the loss of fame and profit, to which he was never
entitled. 1 Campb. R. 358, n. See 1 Esp. N. P. Cas. 28; 2 Stark. Cas. 73; 4
Bing. N. S. 92; S. C. 3 Scott, 340;. 1 M. & M. 44; 1 M. & M. 187; Cooke on
Def. 52.