New Criticism Theory
New Criticism is a form of formal
literary criticism that reached its peak in the 1940s and 1950s. It was created
in response to historical or biographical criticism that focuses solely on
material not found in the text.
Joel Elias Spingarn first used it during his
lectures in 1910. It was named after John Crowe
Ransom 1941 book The New Criticism. New critics read closely, focusing
on the relationship within the text that gives it its own distinctive character
or form. Because he emphasized textual analysis and viewed the text as a
carefully designed, organized object made up of formal patterns of observation,
the new critique is sometimes referred to as an "objective" approach to
literature. It avoids what the authors intend, or what they call a “the intentional fallacy",
and what readers' individual response calls a “the affective fallacy”. The new criticism
focuses on reading the text carefully. According to the new critique, text is a
means of analyzing meaning and finding meaning. The intentions of the author
and the reactions of the readers are not important to them.
The major thinkers of new criticism include John Crowe
Ransom, Allan Tate, Robert Penn Warren, Cleanth Brooks, William Empson, F.R.
Leavis and I.A. Richards. I.A. Richards’s books ‘practical Criticism and the
meaning of meaning’ also played important role. Also very influential were the
critical essays of T. S. Eliot, such as “Tradition and the Individual Talent”
and “Hamlet and His Problems,” in which Eliot developed his notion of the
“objective correlative” and laid some ground rules for New Criticism. Objective
Correlative was a term used by T.S. Eliot in his essay, “Hamlet and His
Problems”. According to Elliott, the only way to express emotion through art is
to find a purposeful connection. Objective communication can be a situation, a
chain of events, and a set of objects used to evoke a specific emotion. For
example, in a horror film, the filmmaker uses thunder sounds, dogs barking,
dark scary noises to evoke emotion. When a character's emotions are shown, they
must be justified by the setting and the contextual situation.
Operational devices in New Criticism
For the new critique, the complexity of the text derives from its multiple and often contradictory meanings. Through operational devices, meaning is complicated in the text; these devices are Paradox, ambiguity, irony, and tension.
Ambiguity: Occurs when a word, image, or event
produces two or more different meanings. For example: Thanks for dinner. I have
never seen potatoes cooked like this. (Jonah Baldwin in the film Sleepless in
Seattle, 1993).
Paradox: This usually arises from incorrect assumptions, which in turn lead to discrepancies between observed and expected behavior.
Irony: This is a way of speaking in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning differs from the actual meaning of the words.
Tension: A state of mind or emotional tension or suspense in a story that evokes emotions such as fear, anxiety, stress, and fear. It speeds up the situation in history.
New Criticism is a powerful tool for those of us who
have trouble understanding the work of literature. The new critique has
developed a reading that will help us make sense of the text. The first thing
you need to know is who the narrator is (from first to third person). Second,
those with whom they speak. Third, what is the layout. Finally, what is the
main metaphor in the text. Metaphors
distinguish language from ordinary language. Always something goes beyond the
literal meaning of the text. The new criticism points out that the text is not
what it always appears to be.
The formal elements of the text include images,
symbols, metaphors, poetry, meters, perspectives, layout, characterization, and
plot. They are all used to identify the subject. New critics are also looking
for practical tools to achieve a better interpretation of the text.
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