There’s Nothing Like a Great Takedown
A negative review can be a beautiful thing: Your weekly guide to the best in books
by Nicole Acheampong
Jul 08, 2022
3 minutes
There’s something a little sexy about a well-executed negative review. Take Stanley Edgar Hyman’s coyly lethalessay on Edmund Wilson in . Hyman’s first paragraphs feign modesty, dabble in flattery. His uncensored opinion gets a slow reveal—and when revealed, it’s devastating. The careful dance is outlined in James Atlas’s 1981 article for this publication; Atlas revels in the thrills of Hyman’s technique, and praises , including the aloof and the enraged. “Invective is an art like any other,” he argues,
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