Critique of Taste: Its Concepts and Evolution in Literary Criticism and Theory in Iran

Many philosophical and aesthetic concepts, despite their initial simplicity, are presented in the form of anonymous assertions in the field of criticism and literary theory. One of these concepts is critique of taste which, especially after the spread of academic criticism and the subsequent neglect of traditional methods of criticism, including the critique of taste, was looked down upon due to its inability to evaluate scientifically and methodically. Thereafter, it was bitterly criticized as a reliable touchstone and a trustworthy method of criticism and was, therefore, abandoned. In order to critically examine the negative and derogatory view toward critique of taste, in this article we have tried to analyze the differences between the critique of taste and academic criticism. By criticizing the opinions of followers and critics of both groups, it becomes evident that contrary to the popular opinion, critique of taste is not completely personal, subjective and devoid of criteria. On the other hand, scientific/objective criticism is found to be tainted with ideological, biased and intuitive outlooks. Findings suggest that despite the rejection and ridicule of critique of taste, firstly, many opponents of critique of taste are also caught up in it, and secondly, there are no precise criteria for distinguishing critique of taste from the so-called academic criticism. This is because the concept of taste is a complex historical concept and includes various features.