Literary Criticism Of Literature And Literature - 873 Words

Literature has no set definition, mainly because throughout history writers, as well as literary historians have failed to construct an agreeable definition (Bressler 12). When one thinks of literature, he or she should think of literary criticism—different critical perspectives. Literary criticism requires readers to analyze literary texts with knowledge of theories. Thus, the next time one reads a text, he or she should first identify the theory that he or she plans to use. The theories represent a set of critical lens that one will use to analyze the text critically. For instance, this paper will focus on the New Criticism theory; it is a theory that requires readers to focus entirely on the text itself. Readers do not need to focus on†¦show more content†¦From a New Critic perspective, when analyzing a poem, it is pivotal for readers to pay close attention to the poem’s structure and form, especially since it can help him or her understand the poem’s overall meaning. In life, human beings will encounter many challenging obstacles throughout his or her long and stressful journey here on earth, especially since success is the ultimate goal that he or she wishes to achieve. In the first quatrain of Angelou’s poem, a simile is depicted: â€Å"You may trod me in the very dirt / But still, like dust, I’ll rise† (3-4). Here, it is evident that Angelou wants readers to realize that life will step on he or she as if him or her is a pile of dirt; however, if he or she is determined to overcome his or her challenges, he or she will rise—just like dust. The simile depicted in quatrain one, forces readers, from a New Critic viewpoint, to realize that the essential meaning of Angelou’s poem lies within each line of the poem—objective meaning. Furthermore, in life, human beings will encounter different individuals—exposure to diversity. Human beings learn from one another; however, certain people tend to encounter human beings who are miserable with his or her life. In fact, people who feel dejected tend to not motivate others to achieve his or her lifelong goals—this is portrayed in quatrain six of Angelou’s poem: â€Å"You may kill me with your hatefulness, / But still, like air, I’ll rise† (23-24). Here, Angelou uses aShow MoreRelated Anatomy of Criticism Essay example1249 Words   |  5 PagesAnatomy of Criticism  Ã‚   Introduction In his Anatomy of Criticism, Northrop Frye offers a complex theory that aspires to describe a unifying system for literary criticism. It can be argued, however, that in attempting to delineate such an all-inclusive structure, Fryes system eliminates identity in literature. The present essay takes up this argument and offers examples of how identity is precluded by Fryes system as outlined in Anatomy of Criticism. Structure Vs. Identity In Fryes systemRead MoreLiterature Is Not Only What We Read, Reflecting On The1522 Words   |  7 PagesLiterature is not only what we read, reflecting on the context in which it is written in. The role of value of judgement in the reading of literature is almost part of the world, involving systems of valuations between literary texts and authors. Value of judgement is between the rightness and wrongness of something or someone in context with the utility of importance. The value of judgement in the reading of literature is much more complicated, pointing out theRead MoreArchetypal Literary Criticism Essay1614 Words   |  7 Pages In Literary Criticism, there is an idea that believes that Archetypes make up literature’s meaning. The concept of Archetypes in literature has been the subject of extensive examination in Literary Criticism. â€Å"Criticism can be broken down into two broad categories: evaluative and interpretive† (G ardner 1287). The criticism is based on Literary Theory, which is composed of ideas that help interpret, and analyze literature. Everything in literature has a meaning, and many different people cameRead MoreGraphic Novels and Literary Criticism996 Words   |  4 PagesGraphic Novels and Literary Criticism Graphic novels are a form of literature that is becoming increasingly popular among panels of literary critics deservingly so despite their nonconformity with the traditional ideology of what should be considered prose worthy of criticism. Graphic novels share all of the same themes that a traditional novel has but a graphic novel provides additional benefits. These benefits are including elements like their multiple visual graphics which aid audiences and readersRead MoreStructuralistic Criticism and Gerard Genette1053 Words   |  5 Pagesessay ‘Structuralism and Literary Criticism’ that methods developed for the study of one discipline could be satisfactorily applied to the study of other discipline as well. This is what he calls â€Å"intellectual bricolage ’, borrowing a term from Claude Levi-Strauss. This is precisely so, so far as structuralism is concerned. Structuralism is the name given to Saussure’s approach to language as a system of relation ship. But it is applied also to the study of philosophy, literature and other sciences ofRead MoreSummary of Medieval and Renaissance Criticism1505 Words   |  7 Pagesand Renaissance Criticism Submitted by R. Zothanmawia V Semester BA R/no: 1101BA005 MEDIEVAL CRITICISM The period between the Classical Age and the Renaissance is vaguely named the Middle Age or the Medieval Age. In England, this period spans eight centuries and historians place it from the year of composition of Beowulf in 725 AD to 1474 AD when Caxton published the first book ever printed. The only standard work that dealt with Medieval Criticism is English Literary Criticism: The MedievalRead MoreSocialist Feminist Criticism1164 Words   |  5 PagesSocialist Feminist Criticism: You Dropped the Bomb on Me, Baby Feminism and gender studies have been described as having the ability to challenge literary and culture theory to confront the difficult task of assimilating the findings of an expanding sphere of inquiry (Contemporary Literary Criticism 567). This area of study has taken center stage during the last fifty years, not only in our society, but also in literary criticism. Although the terrain Feminism traverses can hardly be narrowedRead MoreThe Formalist Critics, by Cleanth Brooks1513 Words   |  7 PagesBrooks writes in his essay â€Å"The Formalist Critics† from 1951 about criticism that formalist critics encounter and tries to show these arguments from his point of view and even indicates common ground with other literary critics. Cleanth Brooks argues that we lose the intrinsically obvious points of works of literature if we view the work through the different lenses of literary theory, however we are always viewing the literary work through a subjective lens, since th e author and the critic cannotRead MoreNew Historicism Is A Really Good Way For Analyze Texts And Show Correlation Between Ideas And Timelines1408 Words   |  6 Pageslooks at literature in a more wider and more historical context and they examine how the write affected the work and the work will reflect on the writers time. It recognizes the current cultural contexts that critics have conclusions about. New Historicism was developed around the time of the 1980s by a man that was named Stephen Greenblatt. According to the man that is named Stephen Greenblatt, the role of the New Historicist was to create a more cultural or a more anthropological criticism. SinceRead MoreIntroduction. Among The Living Writers Of India There Is1572 Words   |  7 PagesBhalchandra Nemade. He is a novelist, a poet and a distinguished critic. The impact of his original thinking and the force of his powerful argument on the contemporary literary and intellectual life of India is unparalleled in recent history. His greatest contribution to Indian literary criticism is his theory of Nativism. As a literary critic he has been passionately advocating it. As a creative writer he has demonstrated how theory can be brought into practice. Hence his novels like ‘Kosala’ ‘Bidhar’