Most critics, fond of subservient art still make the whole depend upon a part. They talk of principles, but notions prize And all to one loved folly sacrifice.
This excerpt from Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Criticism" critically examines the tendencies and pitfalls of literary critics, emphasizing a common flaw among them: the disproportionate focus on minor details to judge an entire work. Pope suggests that many critics become so enamored with art that serves their biases or ideologies, that they mistakenly allow one aspect or part of an artwork to define the work as a whole. This implies...