Dr Chris Joyce’s article, Meeting in Meaning: Philosophy and Theory in the work of F. R. Leavis, [1] based on his paper to the Leavis Conference at Downing in 2003, is generally an admirable discussion, lucid and wide ranging, of. F. R. Leavis has a strong claim to be the most influential British critic of the twentieth century. It is perhaps paradoxical, however, to include him in a book devoted to literary theory since he refused to discuss his critical position in. 2016/08/29 · The 100 best nonfiction books: No 31 – The Great Tradition by FR Leavis 1948 The controversial critic’s statement on English literature is an entertaining, often shocking, dissection of the novel, the effects of which are still felt to.