new criticism
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A formalist movement in literary theory: New Criticism is a method of literary analysis that emphasizes close reading of the text itself. It focuses on the internal structure, language, imagery, and themes of a work, deliberately excluding consideration of the author's intention, the reader's emotional response, or the historical and cultural context.
Usage and Examples
- As a subject of study: New Criticism was a dominant school of thought in mid-20th-century academic literary analysis.
- In our poetry class, we applied the principles of New Criticism to analyze the sonnet's paradox and ambiguity.
- Describing a methodological approach: It describes a specific, text-centered critical practice.
- Her essay is a classic example of New Criticism, focusing solely on the symbolic patterns within the novel's chapters.
Advanced Usage
- As a critical lens: The term is used to label or categorize a particular interpretive strategy.
- While a biographical critic would research the poet's life, a practitioner of New Criticism would concentrate on the poem's internal coherence.
Variants and Related Words
- New Critic (n.): A scholar or critic who practices or advocates for New Criticism.
- Cleanth Brooks was a leading New Critic.
- Formalism (n.): A broader critical approach focusing on the form and structure of a text, of which New Criticism is a prominent type.
Synonyms
- Textual criticism
- Formalist criticism
Antonyms
- Historical criticism
- Biographical criticism
- Reader-response criticism
- Marxist criticism
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Close reading: This is the fundamental technique of New Criticism. It refers to the careful, sustained interpretation of a brief passage of text.
- The professor taught us how to perform a close reading, the essential skill of New Criticism.
Noun
- literary criticism based on close analysis of the text