The Growth of a Critic's Mind

I find my own mind to be an interesting place to hang out. If it weren't, I would have a hard time justifying the publication of its products. I chose, as my field of study, the most complex possible works of literature in the most difficult genres. My intelligence, such as it is, was brewed in this cauldron. If I am smart it is in the same way that someone lifting heavy weights in the gym is strong. The strength is not an attribute the exists prior to the gym. Really complex, difficult works of literature exercise the human intelligence in a way that almost nothing else can.