In his essay The Function of Criticism, T.S. Eliot discusses the basic concept of literary criticism and its function. He says that the primary function of criticism is an objective and impersonal 'commentation and exposition of works of art by means of written words'.
True criticism is a system of scientific enquiry in to the essential spirit of a work of art . The function of the critic is to see a work of art as it is, and to present before the reader what he sees in it. Thus criticism is 'a disinterested exercise of intelligence' bearing on a work of art. A good critic must aim at the clear 'elucidation of works of art and the correction of taste. 'Elucidation is needed because most of the readers are prone to 'confuse issues' implied in a work of art. Similarly, 'correction of taste' is needed because every critical effort must act 'as a kind of cog regulating the rate of change in literary taste'.
With his attention fixed solely and steadfastly on the work before him, he has to dig deep into it for the law that can account for it fully. T.S. Eliot further says that the most important critic of a creative artist is the author himself. No author can produce a great literary work if he does not have an inherent critical faculty in himself. T.S. Eliot says, "I maintain even that the criticism employed by a trained and skilled writer on his own work is the most vital, the highest kind of criticism; and some creative writers are superior to others solely because their critical faculty is superior".
