Literary criticism

Introduction

Literary criticism is the evaluation, analysis, description, or interpretation of literature. Literary criticism is usually found by way of a critical essay. However, book reviews that are in depth will be sometimes considered as literary criticism. Literary criticism may scrutinize a particular piece of work or it may analyze an entire collection or genre. Literary criticism is how users evaluate and interpret art. Literary criticism is all about telling users how or why money should be spent. For example, if a new movie is out; critics will let viewers know if it is felt that the movie is worth spending money on or if viewers could wait until it reaches the DVD. Many good sources of literary criticism are available to users on the Internet; however, many require that users purchase a subscription in order to view them.

The critic's precise purpose may be to make value judgments on a work, to explain his or her interpretation of the work, or to provide other readers with relevant historical or biographical information. The critic's general purpose, in most cases, is to enhance the reader's understanding of the literary work. Critics typically engage in dialogue or debate with other critics, using the views of other critics to develop their own points. Unfortunately, when critics assume that their readers are already familiar with previous criticism, the argument may be difficult to follow.

Types of literary criticism

Examples of literary criticism

• Moral Criticism, Dramatic Construction (~360 BC-present)

An example of Moral Criticism can be found in the works of Plato and Aristotle. Plato’s book The Republic was an example of some of the earliest literary criticism. Aristotle’s Poetics was another early writing that gave Moral Criticism a start and has continued since.

• Formalism, New Criticism, Neo-Aristotelian Criticism (1930s-present)

Some of works that are considered to be good examples of Formalism, New Criticism, and Neo –Aristotelian Criticism are written by authors many authors. Formalist critics, Roman Jakobson and Viktor Shklovsky are two of the most well-known for this type. Jakobson’s Closing Statement: Linguistics and Poetics, and Sholovsky’s Theory of Prose are examples of Formalist Criticism. , Cleanth Brooks, David Daiches, John Crowe Ransome, and T. S. Eliot are all authors where examples of New Criticism can be found. Ransome’s book The New Criticism, or Eliot’s essay Tradition and the Individual Talent provide some of the best examples of New Criticism. R.S. Crane’s Critics and Criticism: Ancient and Modern, and Wayne C. Booth’s The Rhetoric of Fiction are works that can be read to get a better understanding on the subject of Neo-Aristotelian Criticism.

• Psychoanalytic Criticism, Jungian Criticism (1930s-present)

Some examples of Psychoanalytic and Jungian Criticism can be found in the works of Sigmund Freud and C.G. Jung. Psychoanalytic Criticism builds on Freudian theories of psychology (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/722/). His work, Creative Writers and Daydreamers, or The Interpretation of Dreams are good starting points to understanding this form of criticism. Jung, who was a student of Freud, wrote On the Relation of Analytical Psychology to Poetry, a good source for understanding Jungian Criticism.

• Marxist Criticism (1930s-present)

Marxist Criticisms are based on the theories of Karl Marx. The writings of Leon Trotsky’s Literature and Revolution, and Georg Lukács’ The Ideology of Modernism, are available to assist with the understanding of Marxist Criticism in literature.

• Reader-Response Criticism (1960s-present)

The works of authors Peter Rabinowitz’s Before Reading, or Norman Holland’s - The Dynamics of Literary Response, are well known sources for expanding your understanding of Reader-Response Criticism. Hans Robert Jauss’ Horizons for Reading is also another source for information on this type of literary criticism

• Structuralism/Semiotics (1920s-present)

Two important theorists form the framework of structuralism are Charles Sanders Peirce and Ferdinand de Saussure. Syntactic Structures, written by Noam Chomsky, Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays by Northrop Frye, and The Elementary Structure of Kinship by Claude Lévi-Strauss are good sources for better understanding on Structuralism.

• New Historicism/Cultural Studies (1980s-present)

New Historicism has been studied and explored extensively in many works. Clifford Geertz’s The Interpretation of Cultures or Pierre Bourdieu’s Outline of a Theory of Practice are good places to start when researching important examples of New Historicism literature. Stephen Greenblatt, who coined the phrase “New Historicism”, wrote The Power of Forms in the English Renaissance, another good source for information on this form of literary criticism.

• Post-Structuralism/Deconstruction (1966-present)
• Post-Colonial Criticism (1990s-present)
• Feminist Criticism (1960s-present)
• Gender/Queer Studies (1970s-present)