A  recent essay by Christopher Beha in Harper’s compares the literary criticism of Lionel Trilling (1905-75),  who reigned in the mid-twentieth century, with that of contemporary critic, James Wood. (1965 -)  Trilling judges a work based upon its the effect on the reader. Wood, h

Prior to the Christmas holidays, I had coffee with a friend who announced she was reading a biography on Norman Mailer. I confess, I’ve never read his novels, the most famous being The Executioner’s Song and The Naked and The Dead; but I am familiar with his essays and columns and