Ley, a professor in Australia, focuses on six major critics to expound on his view of the importance of the literary critic, not just for elucidating what is exceptional about a piece of writing in an historical context (Comprehensive objectivity), but in influencing the culture, society, and politics of their era.  Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), William Hazlitt (1778-1830), Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), T.S. Eliot (1888-1965), Lionel Trilling (1905-1975), and James Wood (1965-) are discussed in great detail and major works are cited.  Their relationship to their periods and their political influence are closely examined.  The critic’s role as a conservative guardian of order versus a change agent is a unifying link as is their view of the role and influence of history for the poet or novelist.  A very academic but ultimately satisfying overview of six major literary influences.