"Impressionistic Criticism": a term coined by New Critics to describe the effusive praise or dismissive condemnation of a whole work, a famous scene or character, based on emotional associations the author reports but cannot explain, especially emotional associations which other readers are unlikely to experience in the same way.  The problem with that method, or pseudo-method of criticism, is that its evidence is inside the critic and not reproducible by all competent readers.  In fact, readers who do not agree sometimes are condemned as incompetent simply because their emotional responses are different from or not as strong as those of the critic.  Also see "belletristic criticism."