Literary_Criticism

Literary Criticism and Theory: Meaning, Impacts and Uses Introduction The terms literary criticism and theory are interrelated, but definitely mean different things. They are the interpretive tools that assist us to read a literacy work in a meaningful manner. This paper attempts to explore the meaning, impact and uses of literary criticism and theory. Accordingly, the focus of the paper is, if literary criticism and theory are understood and applied well, is capable of helping the readers to approach a work in its totality. Meaning of Literary criticism and theory Criticism derives from the Greek word krinein, which means ‘to judge’ and its noun kritikos means ‘a judge of literature’ (Goring 63). “Literary criticism is the discipline/practice of interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating works of literature” says Tim Gillespie (Gillespie 3). When we interpret a work, we express one or more of its possible meanings. A lasting work of literature will often have multiple meanings, including the meanings that the author intended to convey, meanings that readers have discovered over the years, and meanings that readers encounter the work in the present day. When we analyze a work, we get to see how it is composed of. Analysis is technical: pulling things apart, examining relationships among parts, thinking over causes and effects etc. When we evaluate a work, we form a personal judgement about its value. In practice all these three functions of criticism are combined in one activity (Gillespie 4). Literary theory refers to any principles derived from internal analysis of literary texts that can be applied in multiple interpretive situations. It is the specific viewpoint a critic or reader staked out from which he/she interprets, analyzes, and evaluates works of literature (Goring 65). For example, some readers adopt a theory based in psychology, hoping to learn something from characters, while others seek moral instruction from literary works and still others seek philosophical stimulations (Culler 3-4). As a result there are many literary theories emerged over the years though which one can approach a particular work. We can distinguish criticism from theory in term of their objects of investigation. The object of investigation in literary criticism is a particular work or a group of literary work. Whereas the object of investigation in literary theory involves the way in which we might think about a literary work or group of literary works (Goring 64). Impacts of Literary Criticism on Literature 1. The literature written in different periods of time in different societies communicate something to its readers, and literary criticism makes modest attempts to explain and make alive those realities. 2. In literary criticism, the inquiry may be directed towards a particular work, and its individual and distinctive qualities may be examined. In the final analysis, its literary worth is brought out. 3. “Literary criticism is in many ways linked to the humanities, some of which (philosophy, aesthetics) serve as its methodological basis; other branches of the humanities resemble criticism in their goals and subject of investigation (folklore studies, art studies) or are related by a general humanistic orientation (history, psychology, sociology)” (http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com). 4. Literary criticism facilitates the study of literature to pinpoint many relevant areas of other studies such as human mind, interrelationship, gender, class consciousness, ecology etc. 5. The availability of existing critical writings about a literary work may reduce the probability of reading the original work. As a result the readers may attribute undue credit to the critiques, and not to the author. Uses of Literary Criticism and Theory 1. Literary criticism offers number of ways of approaching literature. There is no one ‘right’ way of reading and interpreting the text. We are free to choose one or another critical method or to switch from one to another. This helps us to appreciate the text in a better way (Patricia 3-4). 2. By using literary criticism, we can approach a text from different perspectives such as text, author, reader and content-oriented approaches. When these approaches are used, they have the potential to create new readings of texts and to make us think about the way we see the world and our place in it (Gillespie 5). 3. Literacy criticism includes various techniques of literature analysis which are much in use for critical essay writing. 4. By using literary criticism we can place a text within the larger context. The context can be history, social, political background, literary genre, gender, etc. 5. The practise of literary criticism helps the readers to develop their critical reading skills. 6. Literary criticism adds pleasure in the art of reading. It is not always an arid intellectual exercise but can support the joy and art of literature (Gillespie xi). 7. Different literary theories help us identify our own unconscious assumptions and ideologies; so can it helps us identify others’ unstated assumptions and ideologies (Dobie 2). 8. We can also make use of literary theories to contrast and study different methods of interpretation in their own right. This is called hermeneutics, the study of interpretation itself (www.kristisiegel.com) 9. Literary theories explore intersections of literature with psychology, historical and social analysis, and issues of race, class, gender and power. These explorations cultivate a healthy attitude of inquisitiveness that can be useful in ‘reading’ things in our society besides books: cultural activities, mass media, advertising, political languages (Goring 142). 10. If we know the possible ways to read a text by using multiple literary theories, we can intelligently challenge and resist persons who try to impose their interpretations or ideas on us in a dogmatic way (Gillespie 12). 11. Being exposed to and trying out different literary theories, can make us more flexible thinkers. 12. A final use of literary theories is to help us in any problem-solving situation to be able to explore other perspectives, so that we can bring more possible solutions (Gillespie 13). Conclusion By examining the dynamics of literary criticism and theory, we came to the conclusion that when literary theory is seen as a lens through which we look at literature, literary criticism is actually what we see. The analysis proves that fact that if they are applied and practised well, they are capable of helping the readers to approach a work in its totality. Works Cited Culler, Jonathan. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction. New York. Oxford University Press, 2000. Print. Dobie, Ann B. Theory into Practise: An Introduction to Literary Criticism. USA: Wordsworth, 2002. Print. Gillespie, Tim. Doing Literary Criticism. USA: Stenhouse Publishers, 2010. Print. Goring, Paul, Jeremy Hawthorn and Domhnall Mitchell. Studying Literature: The Essential Companion. London: Hodder Arnold, 2001. Print. Patricia, Waugh. Literary Theory and Criticism. New York: Oxford University, 2009. Print. “Introduction to Modern Literary Theory.” www.kristisiegel.com, 12 July 2011. Web “Literary Theory and Criticism.” www. encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com, 9 July 2011. Web.