‘If the mass of unargued opinion chokes off literary critics…then literature will be the lesser for it,’ he said. ‘There is a great deal of opinion online, and it’s probably reasonable opinion, but there is much less reasoned opinion.’ Book bloggers are harming literature, says Man Booker Prize judge Peter Stothard.

Caleb Crain considers the role of the critic, asking: how is the critic free?

Here’s a man who knows how to respond to criticism, blogger or otherwise: F Scott Fitzgerald’s reply to hate mail.