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Seminar On Types of Criticism

Criticism can take many forms with different functions. The main types of criticism discussed are: 1. Legislative Criticism which prescribes rules for writing. 2. Aesthetic or Theoretical Criticism which treats literature as an independent art form. 3. Descriptive Criticism which analyzes individual works, their aims, methods and effects. Other types include Impressionistic, Psychological, Sociological, Archetypal, Inductive, Comparative, and Textual/Ontological Criticism. Each type approaches the analysis of literature from a different perspective.

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Shane Kimberly Lubat
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77 views

Seminar On Types of Criticism

Criticism can take many forms with different functions. The main types of criticism discussed are: 1. Legislative Criticism which prescribes rules for writing. 2. Aesthetic or Theoretical Criticism which treats literature as an independent art form. 3. Descriptive Criticism which analyzes individual works, their aims, methods and effects. Other types include Impressionistic, Psychological, Sociological, Archetypal, Inductive, Comparative, and Textual/Ontological Criticism. Each type approaches the analysis of literature from a different perspective.

Uploaded by

Shane Kimberly Lubat
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Types of Criticism

Dr K.S.Antonysamy
Department of English
Loyola College
THE NATURE AND
FUNCTIONS OF CRITICISM
The word ‘criticism’ – derived - Greek word ‘kritikos’
- Latin word ‘criticus’

Dryden - First one to use the word ‘criticism’

 In the preface of The State of Innocence he writes,


“Criticism , as it was first instituted by Aristotle, was
meant a standard of judging well.”
Webster’s New
International Dictionary
 An analysis - will enable us to understand its nature and
function. Webster’s New International Dictionary
defines criticism as “ the art of judging or evaluation with
knowledge and propriety the beauties and faults of works
of art or literature.”
 To Matthew Arnold, “Criticism is a disinterested
endeavour to learn and propagate the best that is known
and thought in the world.”
 For T.S. Eliot, is the “commendation and exposition of
works of art by means of written words.”
Functions of Criticism
•Function of criticism is to 1. To instruct
2. To enlighten
3. To judge
a work of art and literature.
1.Training of the Writers
2.Interpretation and Judgement of
Literature
3.Enlightenment
Types of Criticism
1.Legislative Criticism
2.Aesthetic of Theoretical
Criticism
3.Descriptive Criticism
4.Impressionistic Criticism
5.Psychological Criticism
Types of Criticism
6. Sociological Criticism
7. Archetypal Criticism
8. Inductive Criticism
9. Comparative Criticism
10. Textual or Ontological
Criticism
1. Legislative Criticism

1.It prescribes rules and regulations.


2.It is the earliest kind of criticism.
3.It lays rules for art of writing especially for
those of Greek and Latin.
It teaches the poet how to write or how to
write better.
It assumes that critic is a law giver.
Main People of the thought : Aristotle,
Horace, Dionysius, Quintillian, Longiuns
among the ancients.
Moderns are : Vida, Racine, Boileau, Roscommon ect.
Pope exhorts the poets;
He is asking the poets to learn hence for ancient rules a
just esteem; To copy nature is to copy them.
LC: practised during Elizabethan period. Sydney was the
only exception.
2. Aesthetic or Theoretical
Criticism
Aesthetic criticism on the other hand treats
literature as an art – An independent activity
of the mind, having an end of its own. It has
no roles in the field of science,religion,
morality and economy.
Sydeny’s apologie for poetrie 1595 which
appear 9 years after his heroic death – First
great example of AC OR TC.
3. Descriptive Criticism
It is the latest and most popular of all three
critical modes.
It consists of a study of individual works of
their aims,methods and effects.
LC addresses itself to the writer but DC is
directed to the readers.
It begins with the self justification of the
poet.
DC according to George Watson, “As talk and
survives as talk that some one has thought
worth writing down.
It analyses the work in hand.
Ex- Ben Johnson’s conversations with
Drummond and Dryden’s essay on dramatic
poetry.
4. Impressionistic Criticism
It records the personal experiences
Approaching a text by impression.
It is a subjective view of criticism
The good critic is he who narrates the
adventures of his soul among master piece.
IC is not concern either with judgement or
evaluation of a work of an art.
Walter Pater one of most impressionistic
critic.
Some other IC critics; Oscar Wilde, George
Moore, Arthur Symones and Virginia Woolf.
5. Psychological Criticism
Very popular in modern age.
A Brills translations of Freud’s the three
contributions to the theory of sex and
the interpretation of dreams.
His interpretations of man and his nature as
the light of his libidiunous compulsion and
the repressions society forced upon him.
It fascinated the romanticists.
It helped the critcs for the creative process.
6. Sociological Criticism
It is very popular in 20th Century.
It regards a literary work as a product of social factors
and forces prevailing in a particular society and at a
particular time.
Taine says “Literature is deeply influenced by the
moment, the race and the milieu.
It examines the a literary work in the contexts of social
conditions of its author.
Art is not created in a vaccum but created from the
society.
A work of an art is examined it its social context and it
also studies its social effects.
Relation between literature and society are reciprocal.
Literature is not only the effect of the social cause it is
also the cause of social effects.
7. Archetypal Criticism
It is known as totemic, mythological or
ritualistic. It is based on minute textual
analysis.
This approach reflects strong interests in
myth and the influence of Frazer and Jung.
Frazer’s The Golden Bough is a monumental
study of magic and religion.
It is a narrative design, character types
are images which are set be identifiable
in a wide variety of works of literature.
Famous Poets: James Joyce, Yeast, Robert
Graves and T.S.Eliot.
8. Inductive Criticism
IC neglects set rules and principles
in judging works of literature.
IC critic approaches literature in the
spirit of pure investigation.
The laws of art are found in the practice
of artists and not in set rules.
9. Comparative Criticism
It seeks to evaluate a work by comparing
with another work.
Mathew Arnold was the first one to
advocate CC.
He assisted that the duty of a critic is to know
the best so as to distinguish between two.
Comparison must be made between works of
the same type and genre.
Arnold calls it as a touch stone method.
10. Textual or Ontological
Criticism
It is analysis of the structure of a
literary piece and various elements-
words, images, dictions, styles,
tone and theme. Critic ignores all
extrinsic factors as biography,
history, sociology and psychology.
OC arrives at the true meaning of
the writer.

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