Being a Critic of the Arts Everyday, we act as critics, i.e., deciding which film to see or which channel to watch. Much of the time, experience guides us through the aesthetic judgments we make. Left on our own, however, we can go only so far. As Martin and Jacobus (1997) argue, in studying the essentials of criticism and in learning how to put them into practice, we develop our capacities as critics (p. 48). 1. introduction We all resist taking on the critic's role because we value the
Amal Mohaya AlRekabi Course : Poetry Matthew Arnold as a Poet and Critic The word "criticism" is derived from a Greek word that means "judgment". So, criticism is basically the exercise of judgment, and literary criticism is, therefore, the exercise of judgment on works of literature. From this, it is clear that the nature of literary criticism is to examine a work of literature, and its function is to identify its points of excellence and its inadequacies, and finally to evaluate its artistic
Critics of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered by many to be the greatest American novel ever written. Despite this praise, Mark Twain’s masterpiece has never been without criticism. Upon its inception it was blasted for being indecent literature for young readers because of its lack of morals and contempt for conformity. Modern indignation toward Huck Finn arises from its racist undertones, most notably Twain’s treatment of the character Jim
An Examination of Rubyfruit Jungle and Her Critics Rita Mae Brown's first novel, Rubyfruit Jungle made waves when it was first released in 1973. Its influence has not gone away over the years and is in its seventh printing. While mainstream critics failed to acknowledge Rubyfruit Jungle in their papers, magazines and discussions on contemporary literature, there are plenty of non-mainstream voices to fill the void. While these lesser-known sources are not always credible, and certainly not always
Anne Bronte's Agnes Grey and the Critics Little is known about the composition of Anne Bronte's book Agnes Grey. Many critics believe that the original draft of Agnes Grey was titled, Passages in the Life of an Individual and was written July of 1845. The first edition of the novel was published in 1847 in combination with Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Through out her life, Anne had written many poems and finished two complete novels. Both of her novels, Agnes Grey and The Tenant of
Coleridge's art criticism to comment upon his practice as a theorist? Are his aesthetic ideas applicable to his practice as a critic of the practice of poetic composition? Is it possible that some leverage could be obtained by torquing Coleridge's theoretical statements about poetry in particular and art in general to comment on his own compositional practice as a critic? Quite simply, is Coleridge's theory true to the ideals of his critical practice? The caveat here is that it is precisely my intention
Nothingness “Accordingly, any interpretation that purports to know who Godot is (or is not), whether he exists whether he will ever come, whether he has ever come, or even whether he may have come without being recognized (or possibly in disguise) is, if not demonstrably wrong, at least not demonstrably right” (Hutchings 27). “Although works of the theater of the absurd, particularly Beckett’s, are often comical, their underlying premises are wholly serious: the epistemological principle of
the principal "subversions," in The Merchant of Venice that modern and postmodern critics have imposed upon on the play. Without its’ alleged contradictions, the play has a tight formalist structural unity, it focuses on an essentialist Platonic idea, and, resolving all conflicts, it ends in closure. On the topic of Antonio's sadness, Granville picks up a clue that to my knowledge no modern critic has noticed. In his "methodizing" process, he moved Antonio's play-opening line--"I
both praised and rejected by others. In a recent 2011 article by Bert Cardullo, he explains the two main types of persons whose main jobs are to look over these artistic performances and give their personal feedback. “It is certainly true that the critics—those persons whom the dictionary describes as “skilled in judging the qualities or merits of some class of things, especially of literary or artistic work”—have long harbored murderous thoughts about the condition of our drama, but their ineffectuality
The Critics View of Edna's Suicide in The Awakening There are many ways of looking at Edna's Suicide in The Awakening, and each offers a different perspective. It is not necessary for the reader to like the ending of the novel, but the reader should come to understand it in relation to the story it ends. The fact that readers do not like the ending, that they struggle to make sense of it, is reflected in the body of criticism on the novel: almost all scholars attempt to explain the suicide.
Rotten Tomatoes vs. Meta Critic on the Film Dope Dope is a controversial film which addresses many issues with today’s youth living in crime-polluted, drug-infested neighborhoods in the city of Los Angeles. The movie, though a low budget film received relatively positive reviews from both Rotten Tomatoes and Meta Critic which have been known for destroying a film’s reputation in the public eye, causing ticket sales and movie goers to plummet all before the movie’s opening weekend, which is when
Four Critics’ Perspective of Theodore Roethke's Elegy for Jane More than forty years after her untimely death, Jane Bannick breathes again--or so it seems while reading about her. Jane's unfortunate death in an equestrian accident prompted one of her professors, the poet Theodore Roethke, to write a moving poem, "Elegy for Jane," recalling his young student and his feelings of grief at her loss. Opinions appeared almost as soon as Roethke's tribute to Jane, and passages about the poem continue
Introduction “Richard Gilman, American Theater Critic: An Appreciation” is another brilliant piece of literature by Bert Cardullo. The article itself talks a little more about the differentiation between reviewers and critics, but focuses deeply on one particular critic: Richard Gilman. This time, the main theme for this article is Theatrical Critics. “Richard Gilman, American Theater Critic: An Appreciation” was published in 2011 and is one of the most current researches done on this topic. As previously
Susan Sontag, in "Against Interpretation," takes a very interesting critical standpoint on the idea of literary interpretation. Unlike most literary critics, Sontag believes that literary criticism is growing increasingly destructive towards the very works of art that they, supposedly, so greatly "appreciate" and "respect." Her standpoint could not be more accurate. Reading her work generates numerous questions, the most important of which is quite possibly, "How are we to take her final statement
in ways which we take for granted. When we speak of Freudian slips or look for hidden causes behind irrational behavior, we are using aspects of Freudian analysis. Many literary critics have also adopted Freud's various theories and methods. In order to define Freudian literary criticism, we will examine how various critics approach Freud's work. We will pay special attention to issues of creativity , author psychology , and psycho-biography . Creativity and neurosis Many of us may be familiar
non-fiction work, set in 1933, following the author and his second wife, Pauline, on a big-game safari in Africa. It was first serialized and then published in 1935. The first run was of 10,500 copies selling at $2.75 a piece. While many smaller critics passed their typical glossy review of Hemingway, those at the height of literary criticism bombarded it. Particularly with respect to what Hemingway claimed the novel was. In the foreword of the novel, Ernest Hemingway writes, “The writer has attempted
Pope's An Essay on Criticism When Samuel Johnson ascribed to a new work "such extent of comprehension, such nicety of distinction, such acquaintance with mankind, and such knowledge both of both ancient and modern learning as not often attained by the maturest age and longest experience," he was speaking of young Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism (1711), written when he was about twenty, and published when he was only twenty-three years old (in Mack 177).1 Others have not been as generous
the 1920’s in their book entitled Civilization in the United States. Thirty-three authors with the aid of an editor, Stearns, instead produced a highly controversial and inadequate account of certain aspects of life in American society. According to critic Arthur Schlesinger the writers of Civilization in the United States fell short of their goal of producing a critical depiction of American society and instead wrote "supercilious reflections" (167). There are three main themes presented in each
It becomes clear that Arnold defends the importance of criticism. That’s to say he tries to display that the critical mind is of a paramount importance as well as the creative mind. A Brief Biography Arnold, Matthew 1822-1888, English poet and critic, he was a leading literary figure of the Victorian period, and the foremost literary figure of his age. His writings have a distinct style which is characterized by the use of symbolism and earnestness. Arnold, Matthew was born in Lalehan, Middlesex;
Tragic Hero in Antigone The debate over who is the tragic hero in Antigone continues on to this day. The belief that Antigone is the hero is a strong one. There are many critics who believe, however, that Creon, the Ruler of Thebes, is the true protagonist. I have made my own judgments also, based on what I have researched of this work by Sophocles. Antigone is widely thought of as the tragic hero of the play bearing her name. She would seem to fit the part in light of the fact that she