Criticism:

The art of evaluating or analyzing works of art or literature

Also writings expressing such evaluation or analysis
The scientific investigation of literary documents (such as the Bible) in regard to such matters
as origin, text, composition, or history
Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative or positive qualities of
someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written
detailed response.

1.1 What is literary criticism?

Literary criticism is the interpretation, analysis, and judgment of a text. Good literary
criticism leaves its reader with a deeper understanding of the text, while great literary
criticism gives its reader a deeper understanding of the world.
literary criticism is not just about being critical. It takes a lot of effort to write a book, and
the job of the critic is not to (necessarily) tear that work down. The word criticism refers to
an ability to analyze, form an opinion, and substantiate it with evidence—in other words, to
think critically.

Literary criticism vs. literary theory

Literary criticism and literary theory are closely related fields, but they deal with literature
on different scales. While literary criticism seeks to analyze specific works of literature,
literary theory is concerned with literature on a philosophical level. Criticism asks
questions like “What did the author intend to do with this book?” while theory asks
questions like “What is the goal of literature?”

Another way to think about this difference is that literary criticism deals with a specific
book (or set of books), while literary theory deals with broader concepts about books.
Notably, the two fields often overlap. Literary theory is used to support literary criticism,
and literary criticism can influence literary theory.

1.4 What are the different types of literary criticism?

Historical-biographical criticism - which includes an author’s sociohistorical context.

Historical-biographical criticism, sometimes referred to as traditional criticism, draws on an
author’s biography to better understand and analyze a text. All matters of biography,
including geography, race, class, gender, historical moment, and so on, can provide relevant
information to the critic engaging in this kind of criticism.

Moral-philosophical criticism - which evaluates a book’s moral messages.

Moral-philosophical criticism operates under the assumption that literature performs a
certain ethical or moral role in society. With this in mind, moral-philosophical criticism
analyzes texts based on their ethical merits and is typically written within the framework of a
prevailing school of thought.

New criticism - which focuses on the formal uses of language.

New criticism engages solely with what the author has put on a page. It disregards outside
context and emotional response and instead places an emphasis on form, structure, and the
words themselves.

Reader-response criticism - which emphasizes a reader’s own reaction to the text.

Reader-response criticism is exactly what it sounds like: criticism based on the reader’s
response to the text. This approach asserts that a reader’s initial reaction is valuable
information for evaluation. While this approach is the most subjective, the critic is still
required to substantiate their reaction using the text itself.

Criticism can also be anchored in broader fields of study, such as feminism, Marxism, and
postcolonialism. Some common forms of literary criticism rooted in theory are:

Feminist criticism: understands a text through the lens of feminism and gender roles.

Sociological criticism: considers the political and social viewpoint of the author or characters
within the text.

Psychoanalytical criticism: uses the psychological state of characters to interpret and

analyze a text’s meaning.

What is its purpose?

The purpose of literary criticism is to deeply engage with a work of literature in order to
interpret its meaning, broaden its reader’s understanding, and mark the work’s position in
cultural history.

1.2 Functions of Literary Criticism

Literary criticism is the play of thoughts on literature and in asking questions and answering
them. The function is in the best understanding and appreciation of the pleasure. Inquiry
helps us assume rightly about literature. In this manner is built up a concept of literature.

The inquiry could also be directed toward a specific literature work, and distinctive qualities
could also be examined. The matter, method, approach, and language are assessed.
Specific guidelines could also be shaped and literary work concerned against them
regarding different related works of literature. Thus, the reader is helped by a critic in the
formation of the concept of literary merit.

The task of the author is facilitated within the process. Both indiscriminate praise and
indiscriminate fault findings are bad.

Criticism is the science of forming and expressing appropriate judgment upon the value
and merit of literary works. It is simply by criticism that intellectual appreciation and clear
understanding turns possible.

S.M. Schreiber explains that The business of literary criticism is within the first instance to
differentiate between a good book and a bad one and that achieved, to assist us in
acknowledging for ourselves and in getting entire worth out of literary quality once we
meet with it, thus opening up for us the world as a whole of enjoyment and imaginative
experience and intellectual stimulus which is ready to be explored however which with no
certified critic’s assist, we might not discover for ourselves.

Summing up, evaluation, interpretation, and clarification are now thought of as the chief
features of literary criticism. It is an exercise of a many-sided kind; it could encompass
theorizing or judging, legislating, or appreciating.

1.2 Principles of Literary Criticism

Every literary work has three components; matter, manner, and capability to please
(aesthetic pleasure). Earlier, critics devised rules by which technical excellence – plot
development, diction, style, meter, and language – of literary work. These rules have all the
time modified with time. The essential quality of literature will not be how rigidly such rules
are adopted; however, enchantment to the creativeness. Human nature and subsequently
ideas of literature are held universal and everlasting. Here we now have three principles:

Principle of Truth
It is the ultimate test of merit. Here we should keep in mind that literature’s truth is
entirely different from the reality of science or logic. Poetic truth is the reality of the idea,
the generalized experience that forms the content of art that should conform to the human
race’s generalized expertise.

Principle of Symmetry
This precept implies proper selection and association of material. The writer should choose
some aspects of reality and never all truth, and then his material needs to be so organized as
to throw the selected elements of reality into sharp relief. The critic should study if the
assorted aspects of the composition are initially associated with one another or not,
whether or not they’re proportionate to one another, and the composition as a whole or
not.

Principle of Idealization
The selection made for innovative treatment needs to be so constructed that an unpleasant
aspect to the reader’s aesthetic consciousness is saved away or minimized by the advantage
of which a work of art provides pleasure.

1.3 PHASES OF LITERARY CRITICISM

Hellenic Criticism:
Criticism follows the creative activity. Generally in Greece, Plato and Aristotle were the most
important critics in literature. Aristotle is the first scientific critic, theorist. A study of poetics
is therefore a starting point for students of literature.

Hellenistic Phase:
The close of the 3rd century B.C., Athenian culture was declined, Alexandria came up in
Egypt. It made a contribution to preserving, classifying, conducting research, and more.

Greco-Roman :
Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire. The scholars are inspired by ancient Greece
wanted to equal and excel. They aimed at originality in their age. Criticism largely consisted
of elaboration, interpretation, and application of rules. The purity of Aristotle was colored,
clouded by Horace, Quintillion, Longinus, and more.

The Dark Middle Ages :

Roman Empire broke up in fifth century A.D. Confusion and dislocation prevailed. Literature
was frowned upon as sensuous and pagan. The only ray of hope was Dante.

Renaissance :
Constantinople fell to Turks in 1453 and consequent Western movement of literary
masterpieces of antiquity. One sees spurt in literary and critical activity. End of medievalism
and renewal of zest for life and the enjoyment of beauty are hallmarks. Desire to emulate
examples of ancient Greece and Rome is remarkable. In England in the last phase,
justification of literature and art against the attacks of Puritans and moralist Sidney’s work,
“Apology of Poetry”. Ben Johnson is the most important contributor.

Neo Classic criticism:

Classicism became rigid and stringent with passage of time. John Dryden, Alexander Pope,
Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, and Samuel Johnson are some of the greatest critics during
this period.

The Romantic Phase :

French revolution and German idealism had an effect on England. Hollow rules were
discarded. The major writers were Wordsworth’s “Preface to the Lyrical Ballads (1800)” and
Coleridge’s “Biographia Literaria” paved the way leading to new beauty.

Victorian Criticism:
Mood and individualism of romantics resulted in many excesses and absurdities in the
Victorian age. Mathew Arnold, a critic leading aesthetic movement as a consequence of
French symbolist Baudelaire “Art for art’s sake” cult of Walter Pater turned to impressionism
and expressive.

The Modern Age :

The legend T.S.Eliot, the Neo-classic critic sought to correct the faults of impressions by
appealing to tradition and authority. Dr. I.A.Richards developed the study of psychology.
Dr.F.R.Leavis is the most competent critics of the Textual school of criticism.