克林思·布鲁克斯认为诗歌的语言不是自发的、纯朴的,而是包含着精心设置的机巧,甚至在看起来是直接而简单的地方,也充满了反讽、悖论和含混,所有的诗歌语言都是悖论的语言。诗人不是通过制造出新的词语来给予语言新的维度,而是通过使用灵巧而独创性的隐喻,给旧词注入一种新的生命。布鲁克斯反对文学批评的相对主义,认为这将导致文学的毁灭。他主张文学批评要有一套绝对的标准,这个评判的标准不是诗歌所包含的信息的德行、正确、深刻或高贵,也不是个别短语、意象或诗行的优美、正确或高贵,而是诗歌中由反讽、悖论、含混等所形成的紧密结构的形式。布鲁克斯关于诗歌语言及评判标准的理论对当下社会文化建设依然有重要的意义。 Clint Brooks argues that the language of poetry is not spontaneous, simple, but contains elaborate mechanics, even where it seems straightforward and simple, full of irony, paradox and vagueness, all poetic language Are paradoxical language. Instead of giving new dimensions to language by creating new words, poets inject a new life into old words by using dexterity and ingenious metaphors. Brooks opposes the relativism of literary criticism, believing it will lead to the destruction of literature. He advocated that literary criticism should have an absolute standard which is not the morality, correctness, profoundness, or nobleness of the information contained in poetry, nor the gracefulness, accuracy, or nobleness of individual phrases, images, or poetic lines but in poetry The form of close structure formed by irony, paradox, vagueness and so on. Brooks’s theory of the language and criteria of poetry still plays an important role in the current social and cultural construction.