[Mr. Edmund Wilson's] achievement as a critic springs in a large measure from … his refusal to swallow any political faith or literary formula, his innate skepticism, his scientific temper. That is why no labels will fit him, why no party can command his allegiance; he cannot consent to a simple solution—a form of wish-fulfillment—for problems that are highly complex. (p. 467)

Axel's Castle [is] a strikingly original contribution to literary criticism. It is soundly reasoned; it explores new territory; it attempts to provide the ideological origins and foundations of modern literature. It seeks to correlate the ideas and intellectual influences operative at any given time with the conditions which have helped to shape them. The essays are written with grace and vigor. For each judgment passed there is given an abundance of examples and illustrations supported by acute reasoning. Mr. Wilson has no patience with mystification in...