New Criticism

Who is considered to be the founder of New Criticism?

• T.S Elliot

• Alfred Lord Tennyson

• John Crowe Ransom

• Jacques Derrida

What is New Criticism?

• A literary theory that states that there is no true meaning behind language and that language itself is ambiguous

• A literary theory that believes in religiously studying the background of the author of a literary work to properly ascertain the meaning of a literary work

• A literary theory that believes that figurative language and symbolism provide context into the authorial attention

• A literary theory that believes the physical text and the formal elements within it are all that is needed to provide the true meaning of literary work

New Critics created/perform_________

• critical analysis

• formal elements

• close readings

• contextual analysis

New critics believed a text could be primarily understood by comprehending the texts ______

• form

• ambiguities

• imagery

• signs and signifiers

What theory did New Criticism replace?

• Historical-Biographical criticism

• Post-Colonial Criticism

• Biographical-Historical Criticism

• Old Criticism

Which of the following correctly lists some of the formal elements you would look for when doing a close reading of a poem? (New Criticism)

• stage direction and cues, lighting, music

• authorial intention, time period, subject matter

• diction, figurative language, rhyme/rhythm

• meter, style, time period

Every literary work contains the same formal elements

• True

• False

New Critics believe their interpretations or criticisms of a text are ___________

• Intrinsic

• Extrinsic

New Criticism calls for the careful analysis of _________

• the text and its formal elements

• rhetorical devices

• authorial intention

• voice

What do New Critics hope to discern by carefully analyzing the text and its formal elements? (Ultimate goal)

• The form

• The theme

• Symbolic meaning

• The texts ambiguity