UNDERSTANDING OF POETRY

Written by Presented by

Cleanth Brooks Ayesha 22

 INTRODUCTION

Of Writer
John Donne _metaphysical
• Birth_ (1906_1994) poet
• American literary Critic_ New Criticism_ 20th century Theme of love, religion and
mortality
• Joined English faculty at Louisiana State University (LSU)
Works_ The Flea, The
and became member of journal”The southern review” Valediction
• Examine poems by T.S Eliot, John Donne and William
Wordsworth
• Co_authored with Robert Penn Warren_ Understanding of
poetry and Understanding of Fiction
 SIGNIFICANCE OF CLEANTH
BROOKS IN LITERARY CRITICISM

New criticism

• Started in mid_20th century

• Other critics are John Crowe Ransom and Robert Penn Warren
• Emphasise on close reading by focusing on internal factors
 FORMALIST APPROACH EMPHASIS ON AMBIGUITY
OR AND
AESTHETIC CRITICISM PARADOX

• Analyzing work of art by focusing on its • It creats multiple meanings and tention
formal elements like imagery, rhythm, which enriches reading experience
rhyme, symbols, meaning etc
• Emphasise on complexity and depth
• Reject idea of moral, political and social
message
INFLUENCE ON PADAGOGY CLOSE READING

• His works influenced teaching methods
• Taught at Yale University and mentored
many students
• Detailed analysis of language and literary
work
• Explore hidden meanings
 HERESY OF PARAPHRASE
• Introduced by Allen Tate
• Shouldn’t focus on summary
• Poetry_ structure, language and meaning
HISTORICAL CRITICISM
• Emphasis on Unique qualities of the text
• De_emphasized author’s biography and
historical context
• Later years emphasis on Historicism and
cultural Studies
 CRITICISM OF POETRY

INTENTIONAL FALLACY AFFECTIVE FALLACY

• Against this term_ Author’s intended • Also against this term
meaning
• Emotional impact on the reader
• Meaning derived by the relation between
reader and the text
Unity and Organic whole

Successful poem_ coherence in its elements of

theme, imagery, meaning and structure