"Empson's achievement here as elsewhere comes from the generosity of spirit which made him consistently a great critic." New York Review of Books

"Some of these passages have a sweep as grand as Empson found in Donne." Times Literary Supplement

"...an insightful look into Empson the thinker." Eugene R. Cunner, English Language Notes

"Anybody who cares about human intelligence at work with literature is in Haffenden's debt." Book Review Digest

This volume gathers some of William Empson's most passionate and controversial essays and includes previously inaccessible pieces on influential Renaissance writers and scientists. Introduced by leading Empson scholar John Haffenden, this is a book for anyone interested in the Renaissance, the history of science, and the history of literary criticism.