A Critical Theory of Creativity argues that a Utopian drive is aesthetically encoded within the language of form. But coupled with this opportunity comes a very human obligation which cannot be delegated to God, to nature or to market forces. As Ernst Bloch declared: 'Life has been put into our hands.'
"The great strength of Howells's book is that it is, in the very best sense of the word, interdisciplinary. ... his A Critical Theory of Creativity is a celebration of the human spirit and the 'Christ-impulse' that compels us all to hope even in the face of the inhuman. It is absolutely indispensable reading especially for scholars of Bloch who want to better understand how his ideas relate to the creative and the visual." (Duncan Reyburn, English Academy Review, Vol. 33 (1), April, 2016)