Literary criticism

A genre of arts criticism, Literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature’s goals and methods. Although the two activities are closely related, literary critics are not always, and have not always been, theorists.

Whether or not literary criticism should be considered a separate field of inquiry from literary theory is a matter of some controversy. For example, The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism draws no distinction between literary theory and literary criticism, and almost always uses the terms together to describe the same concept. Some critics consider literary criticism a practical application of literary theory, because criticism always deals directly with particular literary works, while theory may be more general or abstract.

Literary criticism is often published in essay or book form. Academic literary critics teach in literature departments and publish in academic journals, and more popular critics publish their reviews in broadly circulating periodicals such as The Times Literary Supplement, The New York Times Book Review, The New York Review of Books, the London Review of Books, the Dublin Review of Books, The Nation, Bookforum, and The New Yorker.

wikipedia/en/Literary%20criticism

The history of literary criticism began in Ancient Greece with philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, who analyzed the nature and function of art. It progressed through the Roman era, Medieval allegory, the humanistic Renaissance (with figures like Sir Philip Sidney), the Enlightenment, and the subjective focus of Romanticism. The 19th century introduced historical and Marxist approaches, while the 20th century saw the rise of movements like New Criticism, which emphasized formal aspects, and various theory-driven approaches focusing on psychology, race, gender, and social issues.

Classical Criticism (Ancient Greece and Rome)

Ancient Greece

: Criticism emerged with fundamental questions about art’s nature and purpose. Plato, in his dialogues, discussed poetry’s relationship to truth and emotion.

Aristotle

: His Poetics (4th century BCE) is a foundational text, analyzing the elements and structure of tragedy.

Roman Era

: Horace, in Ars Poetica, provided guidance for poetic composition, emphasizing that poetry should be both pleasing and useful.

Medieval and Renaissance Criticism

Medieval Period

: Criticism refined concepts like allegory, viewing literature as a path to divine knowledge.

Renaissance (16th Century)

: A period of rebirth of classical ideas. Sir Philip Sidney defended poetry in An Apology for Poetry. Critics like Lodovico Castelvetro interpreted Aristotle, influencing ideas of classical structure.

Enlightenment and Romanticism

Enlightenment

: Critics explored aesthetics and the reader’s role in interpretation.

Romanticism (19th Century)

: This era emphasized individual experience, emotion, and imagination as central to literature.

19th and 20th Century Developments

19th Century

: Introduced historical and social perspectives. Hippolyte Taine, for instance, linked works of literature to factors of race, moment, and milieu.

20th Century

: Witnessed various schools of thought, including:

New Criticism: Focused on the formal aspects of a text, like its structure and style, to determine its meaning and merit.

Theory-Driven Approaches: New insights and perspectives led to approaches focusing on psychological, political, feminist, race, sexuality, and historical contexts.