One of the problems with some critics, particularly when it comes to works of poetry and fiction, is that they introduce into the text more nuance than the author intended. Critics multiply complexity and obscure the pure message. Indeed, even if the text has layers, the layers can be interpreted in so many different ways that the critic finds a remarkable flexibility for their commentary. In this way, essential works lose their essential force. The average reader becomes insecure about their ability to understand the message. The critics provide a whole new level of fascination, but it is the wrong kind of fascination. They employ a monologue which sparks penetrating insights, nevermind that the insights are unrelated to the original intent of the author. Sometimes after you read the critics you are afraid to read the poem — “My God, what am I missing?” The real observation? “My God, what are they confusing?”
