In The Implications of Literary Criticism Harry Levin sees literature as both the cause of social effects and the effect of social causes and proposes a complex literary history. Literature represents the part as the whole, involves selection and order, and can suggest additions to nature. Art refracts more than reflects life. To comprehend the angles of refraction, Levin recommends a comparative study of techniques as a complement to an awareness of social backgrounds.
The movement of the body of the book is in four parts, from "Theory and Criticism" through "Perspectives" and "Thematics" to "Authors, Artists, Texts." The Appendix, "Reviewing: More Implications on Explanation," includes key reviews and review essays. The first part opens by raising the question of the crisis in interpretation. The second part continues this exploration of the nature of art, literature and interpretation. In the third part, which involves thematics, Levin reminds the reader of the turn from the background of literature - biography, history and sociology - to the text. The fourth part extends from medieval representations though Renaissance poetics and Victorian novels to twentieth century fiction and film.