In his criticism of poststructuralist and postmodernism, at least, McDonald's analysis proves surprisingly poignant. He cites multiple cases where the blatant acceptance of political bias has hurt the critical realm, such as the appointment of the volatile Louis Kampf to the head of the MLA, the increased focus on studying mass media as opposed to more traditional art (regardless of the high culture/low culture argument). In the past decade most media critics have focused on the Internet and cut-and-paste culture as the main reason for the decline of critics. McDonald is brave enough to put the onus on those whose profession is supposedly intended to defend the craft.

McDonald runs into problems with his call for evaluative criticism on a universal scale. The main issue is McDonald's confusion of postmodernist lack of values with the ability to see art in a shade of gray. The Tradition is more flexible than McDonald gives it credit for, as works jump back into prominence and fall out of favor at a relatively rapid pace, considering the length of time a work has been around. Furthermore, it's not a bold postmodern statement to say that no work of art is an unmitigated success, as certain elements of a work will naturally be stronger than others. If McDonald's reasoning is to be taken to its natural extreme, every component of a work of art could be measured on the same scale as the components of every work of art, sweeping beyond differences in medium. I don't think such a rigid, rubric-like analysis of art would be pleasing to anyone, be it the artists, critics themselves, or public who is supposed to be absorbing critical opinion.

Contrary to what you would expect, McDonald only briefly addresses the Internet's effect in the introductory chapter, though he does use the standard argument against untrained writers giving their two cents. He concludes the book on a hopeful note for the more traditional thinkers, and a disheartening note to those who have become entrenched in the cultural studies camp. The tides are increasingly turning away from postmodern detachment and towards a world where students rediscover the arts from the bottom up. The increased focus on literary forms and the discovery of leading young authors, the rise of creative writing programs, and a return to mixing academic and journalistic sources of criticism are all signs that society is trying to redefine culture. To defend themselves, postmodernists are declaring "the end of culture." If the title of McDonald's book belies his passionate defense of the field, his greatest success is prying criticism from the firm clutches of its most empowered opponents. You can't judge a book by its title.