Creativity in Criticism: The Kryptonite of Academic Prose Writing or the Vibranium of (Meta)Criticism?

Abstract

Despite being an art, (meta)criticism has been treated relatively coldly like its peers in the sciences, with its academic prose writing forced to carry an objective undertone and be predominantly devoid of conscious creativity in its analyses of texts and criticism of criticism. In this regard, a question surfaces: is creativity in criticism what Kryptonite is to Kryptonians or what Vibranium is to Wakandans? Using the critiques of Abiola Irele, Omolara Ogundipe-Leslie, Charles Nnolim, and Fredric Jameson, I highlight the conscious creative diction of the aforementioned critics and, more importantly, demonstrate how their choice of words is not rooted in showing off their mastery of the use of language but in concretising their arguments. Analysis reveals that since readers are not purely rational beings, emotions will always play a significant role in how information is perceived, understood, and acted upon, and to ignore this aspect of human cognition in critical writing is to miss an opportunity for intense engagement. Until metacriticism stretches beyond the traditional criticism of criticism to accommodate the literary criticism of literary criticism, the criticosphere will continue to deny creativity as a crucial element of language and willingly remain shackled to bland, uninteresting academic prose writing.