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

1. literary criticism based on close analysis of the text