This interview with esteemed literary critic J. Hillis Miller was conducted via Skype on July 17, 2013. Miller speaks about a number of issues important to his life and work. Providing a number of emblematic parables, Miller discusses his early career, his work on the poetry of William Carlos Williams, and his famous essay “The Critic as Host.” He then addresses the reception of his criticism, his thoughts on irony and the work of Paul de Man, the current state of the humanities and humanities education, and the impact of digital technologies on contemporary reading practices. The interview concludes with a discussion of PRISM and the continuing importance of reading and studying literature
