14 Essays on Literary Themes is the sub-title of this critical volume by the editor of the Partisan Review. It could hardly be duller; this is not criticism, it is scholasticism. How anyone who makes pretense of having something new to say on Henry James, Hawthorne, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, etc. can so boringly and anemically balance angels on the point of a needle is hard to understand. All life and liveliness is stripped off; writer and writings are reduced to the level of abstractions. The heartbeat of Rahv's style is faint. The Partisan Review has a loyal following who may provide a market for this book; and it may be read by others to provide criticism of these criticisms. (Kirkus Reviews)