Burning carbon slowing down in novel analysis (3,4)

I believe the answer is:

lit crit

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'novel analysis' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't tell whether it can be defined by this definition.

'burning carbon slowing down' is the wordplay.
'burning' becomes 'lit' (I've seen this in another clue).
'carbon' becomes 'C' (C is the chemical symbol for carbon).
'slowing down' becomes 'rit' (abbreviation for musical term ritardando).
'lit'+'c'+'rit'='LIT CRIT'

'in' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.