New Criticism is a critical method used in literary analysis that emerged in the United States during the early twentieth century. The approach emphasizes close reading and textual analysis, focusing on the formal features of a work of literature and the ways in which they contribute to its meaning. New Criticism was primarily practiced in the 1940s and 1950s and was influential in shaping the way that literature was studied and taught in the United States.
At its core, New Criticism is concerned with the formal elements of a text, such as its structure, imagery, and symbolism, rather than with the historical or biographical context in which the work was created. New Critics believed that the meaning of a literary work is contained within the work itself and that a close reading of the text is sufficient to uncover its meaning.
New Critics emphasized the importance of close reading, which involves paying close attention to the words on the page and analyzing the ways in which they interact with each other. This approach assumes that the language used in a literary work is carefully chosen and that every word and phrase is significant.
New Critics also focused on the tension and paradoxes within a text, arguing that these elements are essential to a work’s meaning. They believed that a text’s meaning is not fixed or static but rather is constantly in flux and that the reader’s interpretation of the text is shaped by their own experiences and biases.
One of the key tenets of New Criticism is the concept of the “intentional fallacy,” which holds that the author’s intentions are not relevant to the interpretation of a literary work. New Critics believed that the meaning of a work is contained within the text itself and that the author’s intentions are unknowable and, therefore, irrelevant.
Another important concept in New Criticism is the “affective fallacy,” which holds that a reader’s emotional response to a work is not an accurate gauge of its quality or meaning. New Critics argued that a work’s meaning should be determined by its formal features rather than by the reader’s emotional response to it.
New Criticism was influential in shaping the way that literature was studied and taught in the United States in the mid-twentieth century. Its emphasis on close reading and textual analysis, as well as its rejection of biographical and historical context, had a profound impact on the study of literature in American universities.
However, New Criticism has also been criticized for its narrow focus on the formal elements of a text to the exclusion of other factors, such as historical and cultural context. Critics have argued that this approach can lead to a limited and static interpretation of a work and can ignore the complex ways in which literature is shaped by social and cultural forces.
In conclusion, New Criticism is a critical method that emphasizes close reading and textual analysis, focusing on the formal elements of a work of literature and the ways in which they contribute to its meaning. While it has been influential in shaping the study of literature in the United States, it has also been criticized for its narrow focus on the formal elements of a text and its rejection of historical and biographical context.