James Wood

James Douglas Graham Wood is an English literary critic, essayist, and novelist.

He currently holds a part-time position as Professor of the Practice of Literary Criticism at Harvard University and is a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine.

Wood is known for advocating an aesthetic approach to literature, diverging from more ideologically-driven academic criticism.

He coined the term "hysterical realism" to describe contemporary novels characterized by excessive length, manic characters, frenzied action, and frequent digressions.

This concept refers to ambitious novels that prioritize vitality above all else.

Wood's critical perspective emphasizes the artistic and formal aspects of literature rather than focusing on ideological or theoretical interpretations.