The Citadel by A.J. Cronin stands as a notable entry in the lineage of debunking literature, echoing the earlier works of Sinclair Lewis during the 1920s. While Lewis’s novels like Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott, Babbitt, Arrowsmith, and Elmer Gantry focused on critiquing small-town America and institutions such as business and the church, Cronin’s narrative takes aim at the medical profession. Through broad strokes, The Citadel exposes the forces that strip physicians of their idealism, leading them to fulfill negative stereotypes often associated with their field.

Books with a debunking nature have long attracted considerable readership, often by challenging established norms and institutions. They lay the groundwork for more specific investigative works that define the modern age of consumerism. For instance, Ralph Nader’s Unsafe at Any Speed delivered a formidable critique of the automobile industry, shaking the foundations of Detroit’s car manufacturers in 1965. This tradition of exposing industry malpractices can trace its roots even further back, to early 20th-century exposés such as Frank Norris’ The Octopus, which detailed the exploitation of farmers by railroads, and Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, which revealed the harsh realities of the meat-packing industry.

While The Citadel might not strike as hard as its predecessors or modern counterparts, it occupies a gentler niche in this tradition. Its tone aligns more closely with the warm, personal storytelling found in James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small than with the biting investigations of early muckrakers or contemporary consumer advocates. Nonetheless, Cronin’s work contributes to a persistent tradition of social criticism in literature, ensuring that such stories continue to resonate with audiences today.