In this text, Farrell challenges the leading radical literary critics of the 1930s, such as Michael Gold and Granville Hicks, reconsidering issues including the relative autonomy of literature from society and economics; the role of tradition in literary creation; the relation of literature to propaganda; and the nature of aesthetic value.
James Thomas Farrell was an American novelist. One of his most famous works was the Studs Lonigan trilogy, which was made into a film in 1960 and into a television miniseries in 1979. The trilogy was voted number 29 on the Modern Library's list of the 100 best novels of the 20th century.