A History of Criticism and Literary Taste in Europe, from the Earliest Texts to the Present Day. Volume 1 (of 3), Classical and Mediæval Criticism

George Saintsbury's monumental three-volume history stands as one of the most ambitious attempts ever made to map the entire landscape of European literary criticism. This first volume, published in 1902, traces the evolution of literary taste and critical thought from the earliest Greek texts through the medieval period. Saintsbury, among the most distinguished literary critics of his era, approaches his subject with the conviction that criticism itself is an art form worthy of serious historical examination. Rather than relying on secondary interpretations, he insists on returning readers to primary texts, allowing the voices of ancient and medieval critics to speak directly across the centuries. The result is a work that functions simultaneously as intellectual history and as a practical guide to understanding how readers and writers have evaluated literature from Aristotle to Dante. For anyone seeking to understand the foundations upon which modern critical thought rests, this volume offers an indispensable foundation drawn from decades of meticulous reading and reflection.