40 Questions
What is the primary function of a literary theory?
To establish principles for justifying appraisals of a text
What is the result of an incomplete, unconscious, and unclear literary theory?
Illogical, unsound, and haphazard interpretations
According to a literary theory, what cannot exist?
An innocent reading of a text
What is the purpose of a literary theory in questioning the assumptions, beliefs, and feelings of readers?
To clarify the underlying factors that caused a reaction
What is the root meaning of literature derived from?
Latin word 'littera'
What depends on the mental framework developed concerning the nature of reality?
How we as readers make meaning out of or from the text
What is the benefit of a well-defined, logical, and clearly articulated literary theory?
It enables readers to develop a method to justify, order, and clarify their own appraisals of a text
Which of the following is NOT considered literature according to the broad definition?
Oral tradition
What is the issue with defining literature solely as written works?
It excludes important oral traditions
What is the role of a literary theory in understanding a text?
To articulate a framework for understanding a text
What is every reader, according to the passage?
A practicing literary critic
What is one way to narrow the definition of literature?
Equating it with works of art
Which of the following is an example of a work that may be considered imaginative writing?
Banana Republic clothes catalogue
Why is defining literature as an art not a straightforward solution?
Because it raises questions about other forms of creative writing
What is a common requirement for a text to be considered literature?
It must possess particular qualities
Which of the following is an example of an oral tradition that may not be considered literature according to the broad definition?
Native American legends
What is literary criticism, according to Matthew Arnold?
A disinterested endeavor to learn and propagate the best that is known and thought in the world
What is the primary purpose of literary criticism?
To formulate aesthetic and methodological principles to evaluate a text
What is the relationship between literary criticism and a work of art?
Literary criticism is a discipline that requires a work of art to exist
What is the ultimate goal of literary criticism?
To explore questions that help define our humanity
What types of questions do literary critics ask when analyzing a work of art?
Basic questions concerning the philosophical, psychological, functional, and descriptive nature of a text
Who are the Greek philosophers mentioned in the text as having debated the answers to literary critical questions?
Plato and Aristotle
What happens when we engage in literary criticism?
We become participants in an ongoing discussion of the value and worth of a work of art
What are the two types of literary critics mentioned in the text?
Theoretical and practical critics
What is the primary aim of literature?
To tell a story
What does literature concretize in story form?
Human values and emotions
What is the subject of the story in literature?
Human experiences
How does literature show human values and emotions?
By showing characters acting them out
What is the importance of the reader in literature?
The reader is necessary for the work to become literature
What is involved in the total artistic situation of a literary work?
The work itself, the artist, the universe, and the audience
What is the purpose of examining a text's total artistic situation?
To help make a decision about whether the work is literature
What does literature allow readers to do?
Imagine the lives of characters
What is the concept referred to as the imitation in the context of literary criticism?
Mimesis
Where did the first recorded instances of literary criticism occur?
Dramatic festivals in ancient Athens
What is the name of the play where a literary critical discussion occurs?
The Frogs
What is the name of the two poets presented in Aristophanes' play The Frogs?
Aeschylus and Euripides
What does Aeschylus represent in Aristophanes' play The Frogs?
The more traditional virtues of a bygone generation
What was the role of poetry in the educational process in ancient Greece?
It was seen as an important element
What was Plato's view of poetry?
He rejected poetry's vision of the world as unpredictable
During what time period did poetry achieve considerable authority and status?
By the time of Plato and Aristotle
Study Notes
Literary Criticism
- Literary criticism is a disciplined activity that studies, analyzes, interprets, and evaluates a work of art.
- It formulates aesthetic and methodological principles to evaluate a text.
- Literary criticism is not a discipline in itself, but must be related to a work of art.
- Without a work of art, the activity of criticism cannot exist.
Function of Literary Criticism
- Literary criticism helps us explore questions that define our humanity.
- It evaluates our actions and increases our appreciation and enjoyment of both a literary work and our fellow human beings.
Analyzing a Work of Art
- Literary critics ask basic questions about a text's philosophical, psychological, functional, and descriptive nature.
- These questions have been debated since the time of Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle.
- By asking these questions, readers can participate in an ongoing discussion of the value, worth, and enjoyment of a text.
Literary Theory
- Literary critics involve themselves in either theoretical or practical criticism.
- A literary theory is a framework that guides our practical criticism.
- Every reader espouses some kind of literary theory, which may be conscious or unconscious, complete or incomplete, informed or ill-informed, eclectic or unified.
- A well-defined, logical, and clearly articulated theory enables readers to develop a method to justify, order, and clarify their own appraisals of a text.
Definition of Literature
- The root meaning of literature refers primarily to the written word.
- A broad definition of literature considers any written work to be literary, including city telephone books, cookbooks, and road atlases.
- A narrower definition of literature equates it with works of the imagination or creative writing, excluding written works like telephone books and cookbooks.
- Defining literature as an art does not provide a consistent rule for determining what is considered a work of literature.
Characteristics of Literature
- Literature possesses an appealing aesthetic quality that contributes to its primary purpose: the telling of a story.
- Literature's primary aim is to tell a story, which may simultaneously communicate facts.
- Literature concretizes an array of human values, emotions, actions, and ideas in story form.
- It allows readers to imaginatively experience the lives of characters, observing people in action, making decisions, and embodying human characteristics.
Ontological Nature of Literature
- The question of whether literature exists in and of itself or requires an audience to become literature is debatable.
- An examination of a text's total artistic situation, including the work itself, the artist, the universe or world it represents, and the audience, can help answer this question.
History of Literary Criticism
- The first recorded instances of criticism go back to dramatic festivals in ancient Athens.
- A notable literary critical discussion occurs in Aristophanes' play The Frogs, which stages a contest between two literary theories representing older and younger generations.
- For ancient Greeks, poetry was an important element in the educational process, extending to morality, religion, and civic responsibility.
Learn about the principles and methods of literary criticism, including its role in evaluating and interpreting works of art. Discover how literary critics formulate aesthetic and methodological principles to analyze texts.
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