How does Eagleton Evaluate ‘New Criticism’?
The Rise of English is a notable literary work by Terry Eagleton. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, to various questions of The Rise of English.
Answer
How does Eagleton evaluate ‘New Criticism’?
Terry Eagleton (1943-present) offers a critical evaluation of ‘New Criticism’ in his essay “The Rise of English” (1983). ‘New Criticism’ focused on close reading and treating the literary text as an autonomous object independent of historical or biographical contexts. Eagleton’s assessment of this movement reveals both its contributions and limitations in understanding literature.
Focus on the Text Itself: Eagleton discusses how ‘New Criticism’ emphasizes the importance of focusing solely on the text. It disregards external influences such as the author’s biography or historical background. This method, known as “close reading,” is centred on analyzing the structure, language, and symbols within the work itself. It is evident in the following quotation.
…New Criticism sunders the text from rational discourse and a social context,…
The Role of Practical Criticism: Eagleton explains that New Criticism significantly advanced practical criticism. This detailed analysis was intended to reveal deeper layers of meaning within the work. Eagleton notes that New Criticism emphasized that literature should be studied as a professional discipline. This approach aimed to elevate literary studies to a more rigorous academic level.
The Intentional and Affective Fallacies: Eagleton critiques New Criticism for promoting the concepts of the “intentional fallacy” and the “affective fallacy.” The intentional fallacy says we should not rely on what the author wanted to say when understanding a text. The affective fallacy warns us not to let our feelings change how we analyze the text.
Limitations of New Criticism: New Criticism enhanced literary analysis through precision. However, Eagleton argues that it neglects literature’s social and historical context. He points out its limitations with lengthy prose and complex narratives that demand more than textual analysis. The following quotation supports this argument.
The limits of New Criticism were essentially the limits of liberal democracy:…
In summary, ‘New Criticism’ was a dominant approach in literary studies during the mid-20th century. Eagleton notes that this method is useful in improving literary analysis. It focuses on detailed reading and practical criticism to achieve this.