Main Difference – Critique vs Review
Although the two terms critique and review are often used interchangeably, there is a subtle difference between critique and review. The main difference between critique and review is the writer; critiques are written by experts in the relevant field whereas reviews are written by people who are interested in that particular field. Therefore, critiques are considered to be more reliable than reviews.
What is a Critique
A critique is a detailed analysis and assessment of something, especially a literary, philosophical, or political theory or work. A critique is usually written by a critic. A critic is an expert in a particular field, so he can comment on a particular theory or work in depth. Therefore, a critique is more reliable than a review.
A critique can look at separate components of a work as well as the overall impression of the work. A critique can be very technical since the critic has expert knowledge in the field. It can contain information like techniques, trends in the field, etc. Sometimes, a person who doesn’t have any knowledge in that particular field may find it difficult to understand the critique properly.
What is a Review
A review describes, analyses and evaluates a work. A review may give you the main information about a piece of work. For example, if the review is about a play, it’ll describe who created the play, who were the actors, where was the play performed, what genre is it, what is the theme of the play, etc. The reviewer will also comment on the quality of the work, overall impression, and his personal opinions. But he will not go into a deep, technical analysis.
This is mainly because a reviewer is a person who has an interest in the certain topic and had the freedom of voicing out his or her thoughts. He is not usually an expert in that particular field. For example, a book review or a film review can be written by anyone. But the review will help others to determine the quality of the said work. So, a review is mainly consumer-oriented.
Difference Between Critique and Review
Writer
Critique is written by a critic.
Review is written by a reviewer.
Knowledge of the Field
Critic is an expert in a particular field.
Reviewer is a person who has an interest in a particular topic.
Content
Critique may contain in-depth analysis of the separate components of the work or theory.
Review may contain general information, overall impression, and personal opinion.
Reliability
Critiques can be more reliable than reviews.
Reviews may not be reliable as critiques.
Goal
Critique may analyze a work technically, scientifically or academically.
Review is more consumer-oriented.
Ease of Access
Critique may not be read and understood by everyone.
Review can be read and understood by anyone.
