criticism (critic; adj. critical; from Greek, 'judge')
Reflection on a literary text, which can take many forms: close reading or analysis, comparison with other works, drawing out theoretical implications, or evaluation. A critic is a person who engages in this activity. Although 'critical' has a negative connotation when used in everyday speech ('he's critical of everyone'), it is more balanced when used for discussion of the arts.
--The Anthem Dictionary of Literary Terms and Theory p. 66