What Do You Understand By Literary Criticism?

Name: Hassan Basarally I.D.: 806007430 Faculty: Humanities and Education Department: Liberal Arts Course: Key Issues in Literary Criticism Course Code: LITS 2301 Lecturer: Dr. S. Venkatachalam Tutor: Dr. S. Venkatachalam Tutorial Date and Time: Wednesday 11a.m.-12 noon Assignment: What do you understand by Literary Criticism? Date Due: 30/09/08

Defining literary Criticism is difficult as there is no set definition that encompasses adequately what the act entails. Instead, defining literary criticism entails analysing several of its features and ascertaining its relationship to literary theory, a term which is often used interchangeably. Before discussing literary criticism, the status of the scribal culture in the English literary canon must be examined. Books have a high degree of authority and the response to it is viewed as highly intellectual. An individual response to a particular text is criticism regardless of familiarity with literary jargon. The proper articulation of an interpretation is acclaimed as criticism; hence expression rather than “any supposed mental incapacity” is the difference between the layman and critic (Barry, 7). Therefore literary criticism has two main principles: all readers have an ideology that affect interpretation of a text and no reading of a text are void of such prejudices. From the two principles one feature of literary criticism is known, criticism is an individual response. Bressler quotes Matthew Arnold’s definition of literary criticism as “A disinterested endeavour to learn and propagate the best that is known and thought in the world” (4). The other feature of literary criticism therefore is that it is a disciplined activity that attempts to evaluate and analyse a text. It is also described as “the reasoned consideration of literary works and issues” (Encyclopaedia Britannica). Literary criticism therefore raises several questions about the value of literature itself. It asks whether there is a single meaning of the text, can a text teach the reader, can it affect the reader or can it affect societal change. Literary criticism in its simplest terms is how the reader applies a particular ideology or combination (Marxism, Feminism etc) to an individual text to create a relationship with it.

Literary criticism can be divided into theoretical and practical/applied criticism. Theoretical criticism is general and deals with the aesthetic principles and tenants of art. It “proposes an explicit theory of literature, in the sense of general principles, together with a set of terms, definitions and categories, to be applied to identifying and analysing works of literature, as well as the criteria (the standards or norms) by which the works of their writers are evaluated” (Abrams, 50). Practical/ applied criticism “applies the theories and tenets of the theoretical criticism to a particular work” (Bressler, 5). The practical/ applied criticism can be further divided into absolutist and relativist critics. The absolutist believes that one theory can be used to evaluate a work while the relativist utilises multiple, sometimes contradictory theories.

Literary Criticism

Theoretical Criticism

Practical/Applied Criticism

Relativist Criticism

Absolutist Criticism

Diagram 1: Subdivisions of Literary Criticism

Closely linked to literary criticism is literary theory. Theory is “the assumptions (conscious or unconscious) that undergird” one’s interpretation of the text (Bressler, 6). Literary criticism and theory are symbiotic. Theories are bases on socialisation and ideology that in turn affect the interpretation of the text. In turn, since criticism is an individual response the theory shapes the response. Usually those with similar theories are classed into schools of criticism. However, the classification is not always welcomed by those who are classified; it is viewed as narrowing the scope of the particular theory. Literary theory therefore has an important function. As there exists no Meta theory, or all encompassing theory, the reader has to acknowledge that there are multiple interpretations of the same text. This in turn encourages the reader to validate an individual opinion by analysing contrary ones.

Works Cited Abrams, M.H. & Harpham, G.G. A Glossary of Literary Terms. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. 2007. Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An introduction to literary and cultural theory. Manchester; New York: Manchester University Press. 2002. Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism: An introduction to theory and practice. New Jersey: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. 2003. "Literary criticism." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 23 Sep. 2008 .