One of the dominant American literary theories and counterparts of formalism, New Criticism, flourished in the first half of the 20th century. It is generally regarded as an extension of Formalism due to its application, historical background, and purpose.
New Criticism is close reading as compared to its counterpart. Major literary figures of this Anglo-American movement were I.A. Richards, William K. Wimsatt, Robert Penn Warren, Allan Tate, F.R. Leavis, and Monroe Beardsley.
By rejecting the traditional ways of interpretation like historicism, sociological study, and author-oriented approaches; it considers text as an independent entity. It focuses on how a piece of literary text works itself by not touching any outside source and such type of study is only possible via close focus and analysis. In simple words, it states that a reader can come up with the correct interpretation by focusing on only the text.
According to Charles E. Bressler, “no literary research, no studying of the author's life and time, and no other extra-textual information is needed, except, perhaps, a dictionary. The poem itself contains all the necessary information to discover its meaning".
Unlike its counterpart, New Criticism was basically a literary theory to study specifically the poem. The New Critics particularly pay close attention to literary devices like irony, paradox, metaphor, and tension. Biddle states that “New Critics "may find tension, irony, or paradox in this relation, but they usually resolve it into unity and coherence of meaning" They treat text as autonomous and self-contained by closely study imagery, point of view,the structure of narration and other techniques.
In simple words, they insist that the meaning of a text is not extrinsic but intrinsic and should not associate with the life of the author, neither his/her intentions and nor the work's affective dimension. Charles E. Bressler states in his book 'An Introduction to Theory and Practice' they proposed Objective Theory of Art and for them, the meaning of a text/poem is nothing more than an expression of the private experiences or intentions of the author is to commit a basic error of analysis which is called an intentional fallacy. It means that by evaluating a poem neither the personal life of the author nor other extrinsic sources are required to arrive at the correct interpretation.
They also reject the impressionistic theory and the emotional effect, a text produced while reading in the mind of the reader, and call it an affective fallacy. They believe that it is also not a necessary element in the interpretation of a poem.
New Criticism, currently an unpopular theory, no longer remains a dominant theory in European and American universities, but it paved the way for many modern approaches like poststructuralism, deconstruction theory, and reader-response theory.
It is one of the most significant contributions of English to literary critical analysis. The application of this theory, like its counterpart, has the same steps with minor changes. It revolves around some important questions like 'How does a text work? What is the tone of the work? What type of literary device is used? And many other questions.
The overall discussion can be summed up in these words. New Criticism is a close study of a poem, and it emerged in American literary societies during the first half of the 20th century.
The decline of New Criticism as a dominant literary theory was evident as it gave way to various modern approaches. While New Criticism may no longer hold its former prominence in European and American universities, its legacy is enduring. It provided a foundation for subsequent theories like poststructuralism, deconstruction theory, and reader-response theory, which have further diversified the landscape of literary analysis.
New Criticism stands as a significant contribution to English literary critical analysis, fostering a methodical examination of literary works. Its application, much like that of its counterpart, follows a systematic process with slight variations. This approach revolves around pivotal questions such as "How does a text work? What is the tone of the work? What type of literary device is used?" Through these inquiries, New Criticism aims to unravel the intricacies of a literary creation and delve into its intrinsic meaning.
In summation, New Criticism emerges as a meticulous study of poetry, originating within American literary circles during the first half of the 20th century. Despite its waning influence over time, this theory remains a vital stepping stone in the evolution of literary analysis. Its emphasis on close reading, independent textual examination, and the rejection of external influences has left an indelible mark on the trajectory of literary interpretation.
