This literary movement started in the first half of the 20 th century. It emerged as a
contrast to traditional criticism. The New Criticism critics and theorists centered the study of the texts on a different point of
view: they commented the writing regarding external aspects such as biographies
or the way of thinking of the author of the text, as well as comparing his/her
work with the literary traditions that existed yet. (Kristi Siegel, Introduction
to Modern Literary Theory).
They also proposed that the works that a critic is going to
analyse should be regarded as a single one, without comparing it with the rest
of the author’s works or other writers’ texts. “The
text (is analysed) as an autotelic artifact, something complete with in itself, written for
its own sake, unified in its form and not dependent on its relation to the
author's life or intent, history, or anything else” (Warren Hedges; New
Criticism Explained).
So, the job of the critic is to show us how the
author of the work has applied his literary knowledges
and his techniques to compose his writing.
The work has also to get nearer to an established canon, which has an ideal
unity, as well as its form has to be at the same level that the context to
understand completely the text. (
The method for the reader that New Critics propose is “close
reading”, that is, finding ambiguity to every word and adding as many symbolism as you can to each word or image that he/she
can find during the reading of the work that is going to be analysed. (David
Arnason, New
Criticism).
For New Critics, the formal characteristics that
we must find in a text are, for example, rethorical
figures as images, symbols, similes, metaphores,
comparisons, metonymy, and irony. (Timothy H. Scherman, New Critical
Analysis). All this complexity not only gives an
ambiguity to the work, but also enriches it, showing the artistic elements that
writers have achieved.
The themes used by the New Critics are defined by themshelves as oppositions (life and death,
reality and appearance, truth and falsehood…). The analysis of a text is an
exercise in showing how all of its parts contribute to a complex but
single (unified) statement about human problems. (David
Arnason, New
Criticism).
The most representative figures of
this movement called New Criticism are (alphabetical order): R. P. Blackmur,
An interesting book that should be consulted to study poetry
inside this literary movement is: Brooks, Cleanth and
Robert Penn Warren, eds. Understanding Poetry.
SOURCES:
-Introduction
to Modern Literary Theory; Kristi Siegel; http://www.kristisiegel.com/theory.htm
(web consulted on May 22th, 2006)
-New
Criticism; David Arnason; http://130.179.92.25/Arnason_DE/New_Criticism.html
(web consulted on May 22th, 2006)
-New
Criticism Explained; Dr. Warren Hedges (Southern Oregon
University); http://www.sou.edu/English/Hedges/Sodashop/RCenter/Theory/Explaind/ncritexp.htm
(web consulted on May 23th, 2006)
-The Old
New Criticism and its Critics; R. V. Young; http://www.leaderu.com/ftissues/ft9308/articles/young.html
(web consulted on May 24th, 2006)
-New
Critical Analysis; Timothy H. Scherman; http://www.neiu.edu/~edepartm/dep/profs/scherm/html/newcrit.htm
(web consulted on May 23th, 2006)