Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,507,538,440 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

New Criticism
(redirected from New Critics)

   Also found in: Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.07 sec.

New Criticism

 or formalism

Post–World War I school of Anglo-American literary theory that insisted on the intrinsic value of a work of art and focused attention on the individual work alone as an independent unit of meaning. New Critics were opposed to the practice of bringing historical or biographical data to bear on the interpretation of a work. The primary critical technique was analytic (or “close”) reading of the text, concentrating on its language, imagery, and emotional or intellectual tensions. Critics associated with the movement include I. A. Richards, William Empson, John Crowe Ransom, and R. P. Blackmur (1904–1965).



How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
Leavis, one of the key players in defining literary excellence as a moral characteristic, and morality as a literary characteristic, uttering magisterial pronouncements through his books and journal; in America, the New Critics became the dominant academic authority, while nonscholars enthusiastically joined the new Book of the Month Club, which, its founder asserted, sent its subscribers the best book each month, selected by expert judges.
Before deconstruction, the New Critics drew fire for asserting the autonomy of the literary text--in particular the poem, whose words created meaning primarily through reference to one another, Poetry, they argued, must be interpreted without recourse to its author's intentions or its historical context.
Of particular note is the chapter on "Literary Games," which attempts to explain in simple terms the viewpoints of New Critics, existentialists, deconstructionists, and postmodernists, something which most guides would not even attempt.
 
Encyclopedia browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Encyclopedia
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.