CRITICISM
A systematic history
MURALI N. KRISHNASWAMY
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This book is comprehensive, spanning 2,000 years of Western critical thought.
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English Literary Criticism and Theory: An Introductory History, M.S. Nagarajan, Orient Longman, p.312, Rs. 195.
LITERARY criticism is, in essence, the estimation of the value of a particular work or body of work. The factors that come into play are: "the personal and/ or cultural significance of the themes and the uses of language of a text; the insights of a text; and the aesthetic production (or, performance) of the text; particularly as these areas are seen to be mutually dependent, supportive or inflective".
When one uses the word "criticism", one immediately thinks of that which is negative. To an extent it may be right, because "literary criticism is part of the disciplining of discourse generally and of what is considered literature in particular".
But to critic Prof. John Lye of the Brock University, "Judgments of value are not simple, however. They require that one consider what constitutes value, what the personal and social value of literature is, what the value of `the aesthetic' is. And they require that one interpret the text. As texts judged to be of high literary value tend to be marked by complexity and even ambiguity, and to yield diverse interpretations, judgment may ultimately require a theory of interpretation, or at least careful attention to the question of what constitutes, guides, and legitimates interpretation".
Looking at theory, it is the process of understanding what the nature of literature is, "what functions it has, what the relation of text is to author, to reader, to language, to society, to history. It is not judgment but understanding of the frames of judgment", adds Lye.
Fulfilling a need
For the Indian undergraduate/ graduate student in English, the market does not have a handy book of history or even a comprehensive guide of the critical scene over the ages. What exists are "partial studies with commentaries on individual critics, an amalgam of critics and critical opinions", and if one may add, age-old yellowing and dog-eared notes. What is clearly missing is something that is handy, systematic and takes an organised view of the discipline of criticism.
It is this need that academician M.S. Nagarajan recognises in his English Literary Criticism and Theory: An Introductory History, a book designed to meet the needs of the "average graduate student", and his teacher.
The book is comprehensive, but has adopted, what the author says, a drastic principle of selection. Divided into seven sections, it spans the 2,000-year-old history of Western critical thought.
The initial sections, on classical, medieval and renaissance criticism, look at the background and the foundation on which English criticism has grown. The middle section looks at treatment and will help in an analysis of what has been prescribed in a syllabus, while the last section looks at American, African-American and British criticism. Added as an appendix is a small section on "Speech-Act Theory".
Valuable additions
Further, to help the student refine his approach to the subject, and in any analysis he attempts, is a detailed "Glossary of critical terms". For a more serious student, the detailed bibliography will provide vital leads.
In short, the book is a welcome addition. It clearly states that it is to help guide the student and does not claim to be exhaustive in its analysis. In this, it might fulfil its aim successfully.
A large part of the material in this book is the result of the author having researched in libraries in the U.S. This might help the student understand the "strengths and weaknesses of the Western critical heritage".
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