The manuscript examines from a rhetorical standpoint the literary criticism written by G. K. Chesterton between 1902 and 1913 with a view toward ascertaining whether Chesterton did in fact create the "criticism for the common man" he aimed for. To answer this question, the manuscript explores the relationships between writers, readers, books, and critics both at the time Chesterton first began writing and in the context of rhetorical and critical tradition from Plato to the present day.