ABSTRACT
T he core of Taine’s philosophy, and of his attempt at a science of criticism, is his search for the ‘true abstraction’, that is, for the natural type which is not merely a formal concept but is, in the fullest sense, concrete. Permanent causes, ideal types, generative facts, elementary moral states, races, essential characters, general characters, master faculties—these are all variations on the same theme, developed in different contexts. What are some of the problems involved in this search? How did it enable Taine to complete his theory and practice of criticism?
