From “A Line of Defense” by Stella Carter
The View from Here, Issue #9

Even if you’re not a writer and are simply fond of reading, chances are you’ve been caught in conversations where you were forced to defend reading, authorship, literature, literary criticism – probably all of these. If you’ve ever found yourself spluttering for a line of defense, I have compiled here a list of handy responses to a number of typically infuriating statements. In some cases, I’ve included a bad – that is, sarcastic – answer, which you should avoid giving. You needn’t fear cocktail conversations any longer.

Claim: Literary criticism is not only unnecessary, it always spoils a good book.
Answer: Criticism is necessary for a number of reasons. First, good criticism improves understanding of a text; understanding a text leads to better understanding of literature as a whole; better understanding of literature as a whole leads to new production of literature. Second, criticism preserves the text by discussing it and trying to illuminate why it’s worth discussing in the first place. Third, literary criticism is like sports commentary – you can watch a game without it, but it helps you enjoy the game on a whole other level.
Special Bonus Comment: A critique, being only an opinion, is not written in stone, ergo it can change. Criticism is meant to be an ongoing discussion, not the passing of final judgment.

http://www.viewfromheremagazine.com/2009/02/line-of-defense.html