Historical-Biographical

Criticism
Literary Criticism
• Biographical criticism is often associated with historical-biographical
criticism, a critical method that "sees a literary work chiefly, if
not exclusively, as a reflection of its author's life and times".
• Historical-Biographical approach establishes a bridge between
the reader and the world's of the author. The life of the author,
the historical events and the values of his age help us understand
the work, and in a similar way the literary work gives information of
the author and his own period.
• Formally, biographical criticism assumes the author's life,
thoughts, and feelings of the author heavily influences the
text. Therefore, biographical theorists believe that it is necessary to
study the life of the author in order to truly understand the text.
 Why is biographical criticism important in
critiquing literature works?
• Since the premise of biographical criticism maintains that the
author and his or her literary work cannot be separated, critics
look for glimpses of the author's consciousness or life in the
author's work.