FREE ESSAY ON LITERARY STUDY FOR DUMMIES

LITERARY STUDY FOR DUMMIES

Williams 1
Connie Williams
Professor Carroll
May 26, 2000
The Beginning's of Literary Study - For Dummies J
A Modified Version of R. L. McGuire's Passionate Attention: an introduction to literary
study.
Literature and criticism
Authors basic assumption of a book- the reading and the study of literature cannot and do
not take place outside the context of human values.
One's unique personal experiences are from whence their values are formed. These values
come to light as a reader reads or a writer writes.
Literature is a record of specific personal perceptions: H. Read-the outer image of
inward things.
Literature proves the richness not the limitations of being human.
Literary criticism is discernment-the ability to see.
The student needs to form their own critical criteria and offer an interpretation of the
work based on those criteria.
Judgmental reviewing is narrow and only one aspect of literary criticism. The value of
criticism is not that it lays down laws that any reader must follow, but that it offers a
new way of seeing a literary work, which may not have been possible to the reader.
For example in the critical analysis of a poem the reader might look for the connections
between words, stanzas, structure and ideas.
The four basic approaches to literary criticism are:
1) the mimetic
2) the pragmatic
3) the expressive
4) the objective
Mimetic approach- describes the relationship of the literary work to the world or the
universe in which the work was conceived or being read.
Pragmatic approach- describes the effects of the work on its audience.
Williams 2
Expressive approach- proposes the study of the relationship of the work to the writer:
biographical, psychological, history, culture.
Objective approach- is that which studies the work in and for itself without reference to
the world in which it exists, its effect on its readers, or the works relationship to the
author.
The work for itself
Objective criticism- the study of a literary work is done without reference to the
mimetic, pragmatic, or expressive possibilities of interpretation. This type of criticism
regards the literary work as an object in and for itself because it is art and the work
of an individual artist.
The literary work is a craft, a constructed pattern of words, and the basis for our
speculations, for its truth, its revelation, and its power.
Descriptive Critical Activities- seeks primarily to describe a text. It is the approach
to the work for itself in its simplest form. It is employed on revisions, editions, and
on the finished version. Concern lies with the resulting product and its theme or central
idea. 
Generic criticism- study of the work for itself, the types of literature this criticism
employs is poems, novels, and plays.
The study of poetics or prosody is the learning of basic metrical patterns and verbal
effects: iambic, tetrameter, couplets, alliteration, rhyme, etc.... This type of study
serves to remind us of a vital aspect of the writers' art. The writer is a craftsman of
sound and effect as well as ideas. Keep in mind that writers can be conventional or
unconventional.
Thematic approach- attempts to bring the various aspects of form as well as content
together to make a statement about the subject of a work. It may also concern itself with
the message or moral of that work.
Unity- if a literary work can generate its own meaning by virtue of its internal
coherence, then a critical method can concern itself with that esthetic universe. 
Unity of Theme- all of the work is about the same topic. 
Unity of Imagery- all the images contribute to the same general vision, implication,
theme, or central image.
Williams 3
Unity of Tone & Form- the parts of the work fit together and support each other.
According to Coleridge,
But if the definition sought for be that of legitimate poem, I answer, it must be one,
the parts of which mutually support and explain each
other; all in their proportion harmonizing with, and supporting the purpose and known
influences of metrical arrangement. . .(McGuire 22).
New criticism- shows interconnections with emphasis on the work.
Mimetic-Mimesis-Imitation
Mimetic criticism- is that which asks how a literary work is important to any of the
worlds to which it is related. The best place to begin a survey of mimetic approaches is
with the connection between the work and the time in which it was written. 
Guideline
1) discover the extent of the departure or conformity of the work from the era/culture in
which it was produced. This teaches the student the values of the age in which the work
was written. This entails immersion in the history, philosophy, and esthetics, the
cultural world of the work. 
2)study the contemporary historical records of the time, (court records, diaries, and
plays). 
3) study the various audiences of the writer.
Archetypal criticism- the kind of literary study and interpretation that attempts to tie
literary works to basic patterns in cultures and thought process. This type of criticism
is based on myth because myth has its roots in peoples' cultural and religious responses
to events in their lives.
1) psychological archetypal- proven or historically repetitive mind-sets.
2) mythical archetypal-an archetypal that is preserved in mythology.
Subversive literature- is that which affirms individual variations, idiosyncrasies, or
the right of the individual to remain outside of society.
Progressive literature- is evaluated in terms of its contribution to material
improvement. This type of literature talks of building, buying, growing, technological
advancement. Progressive Literature depends on the smooth workings of society in order to
reflect progress.
Williams 4
*Marxist critics redefine progress so that it aids the worker not the manufacturer, thus
the subject of the literature is changed to class
struggle. This reflects a belief that the future holds the fulfillment of human hope. 
Pragmatic-Affective Theory
Pragmatic theory- Abrams states that this theory, looks at the work of art chiefly as a
means to an end, an instrument for getting something done, and tends to judge its value
according to its success in achieving that aim(McGuire 37). It is all the ways
(emotionally, intellectually, unconsciously, etc. . .) that literature affects one. How
we are moved by literature has to do with the extent to which the words that comprise a
work posses mimetic values for us, the capacity to strike us as comprehensible and true.

Literature must have the mimetic quality of resembling some aspect of life as the reader
knows it. The similarities may be: unconscious, mythical, archetypal, coincidental or
typical.
*Examining the point of view of the author and what the work does can aid the reader in
approaching the affective function of a work. 
*Affective approaches and mimetic approaches overlap because the determination of a works
affective power depends as much on the capacity of the work to be true to some aspect of
life, as it does upon devices and techniques of presentation. 
Expressive
The expressive approach can inquire into the way in which the work embodies some portion
of the artist or ways in which authors' biography will reveal his/her capacity for
creation. But to say that a literary work is a consequence of an event or even a series
of events, which we can document, is to lose sight of the ultimate mystery of literary
creation.
Critical Biography- the study of the events in a writers life and their relationship to
his work.
Psychoanalytical approach- the validity of this approach is founded on the assumption
that what is in a literary work is not only conscious expression, but also unconscious
expression. The conjecture that the style is the author, attempts to make a statement
about the author. McGuire seems to convey that psychoanalytical criticism is best left to
those with training in the field of psychology. 
Williams 5
? The danger of expressive criticism is in its attempt to ascertain the relationship of
the work to the artist, in that it may forget that the work and its creator are two
different entities, and in doing so neglect to appreciate the craft, discipline, and
labor that go into the creation of any work of art.
Expressive criticism is valuable because it teaches us that there is more to art than
conscious use of conscious materials.
T.S. Eliot once said, That a poet might not believe in the content of a work at
all(McGuire 58).
And in contrast,
Coleridge was noted to say, poetry is the blossom and fragrance of all human knowledge,
human thoughts, human passions, emotions, and language(McGuire 58).
Judging a literary work 
? The act of literary criticism in its two-fold state-perception and communication-is a
social act. Modifications of ones judgement are intellectual milestones-points of
reference for a new direction. 
? Critical options ask the reader to discern and define his relationship to what he has
read. The reader must go beyond their primary emotional response to the text. 
? The reader must put aside the predisposition of their morality and of previous literary
experience, provide the work with their undivided attention, and unprejudiced
acceptance.
? Critical inquiry is when the reader has a question about a text and seeks to find its
answer. This does not entail dissecting the work.
Understanding these guidelines to critical inquiry the reader can pursue their own areas
of investigation into:
Form
Shape
Interrelationship of various parts
Relationship to its creator
Effects in its own time and now
Nature of truth of the work
Reflection of its age
Ageless qualities
Clear perception of the work
The reader also must ask questions of the work such as:
Williams 6
1) does or does not reflect some set of values
2) is or is not realistic
3) does the work have the power to create emotion or pleasure
4) does the emotional appeal of the work reflect prejudice or propaganda
5) is or is not a reflection of the artists personality
6) what is the personality that the work reveals
7) the work may be lacking in continuity, coherence, or unity. It may contain a weak
style, use inappropriate words, contradictory ideas, cliches or trite phrases
8) does the work contain the power to bring about group action or reform
9) are the works devices used well
Blackmur says of this art of inquiry, Criticism is like walking, it is only for the one
who is still moving and growing(McGuire 66). 
Williams 1
Connie Williams
Professor Carroll
May 26, 2000
The Beginning's of Literary Study - For Dummies J
A Modified Version of R. L. McGuire's Passionate Attention: an introduction to literary
study.
Literature and criticism
Authors basic assumption of a book- the reading and the study of literature cannot and do
not take place outside the context of human values.
One's unique personal experiences are from whence their values are formed. These values
come to light as a reader reads or a writer writes.
Literature is a record of specific personal perceptions: H. Read-the outer image of
inward things.
Literature proves the richness not the limitations of being human.
Literary criticism is discernment-the ability to see.
The student needs to form their own critical criteria and offer an interpretation of the
work based on those criteria.
Judgmental reviewing is narrow and only one aspect of literary criticism. The value of
criticism is not that it lays down laws that any reader must follow, but that it offers a
new way of seeing a literary work, which may not have been possible to the reader.
For example in the critical analysis of a poem the reader might look for the connections
between words, stanzas, structure and ideas.
The four basic approaches to literary criticism are:
1) the mimetic
2) the pragmatic
3) the expressive
4) the objective
Mimetic approach- describes the relationship of the literary work to the world or the
universe in which the work was conceived or being read.
Pragmatic approach- describes the effects of the work on its audience.
Williams 2
Expressive approach- proposes the study of the relationship of the work to the writer:
biographical, psychological, history, culture.
Objective approach- is that which studies the work in and for itself without reference to
the world in which it exists, its effect on its readers, or the works relationship to the
author.
The work for itself
Objective criticism- the study of a literary work is done without reference to the
mimetic, pragmatic, or expressive possibilities of interpretation. This type of criticism
regards the literary work as an object in and for itself because it is art and the work
of an individual artist.
The literary work is a craft, a constructed pattern of words, and the basis for our
speculations, for its truth, its revelation, and its power.
Descriptive Critical Activities- seeks primarily to describe a text. It is the approach
to the work for itself in its simplest form. It is employed on revisions, editions, and
on the finished version. Concern lies with the resulting product and its theme or central
idea. 
Generic criticism- study of the work for itself, the types of literature this criticism
employs is poems, novels, and plays.
The study of poetics or prosody is the learning of basic metrical patterns and verbal
effects: iambic, tetrameter, couplets, alliteration, rhyme, etc.... This type of study
serves to remind us of a vital aspect of the writers' art. The writer is a craftsman of
sound and effect as well as ideas. Keep in mind that writers can be conventional or
unconventional.
Thematic approach- attempts to bring the various aspects of form as well as content
together to make a statement about the subject of a work. It may also concern itself with
the message or moral of that work.
Unity- if a literary work can generate its own meaning by virtue of its internal
coherence, then a critical method can concern itself with that esthetic universe. 
Unity of Theme- all of the work is about the same topic. 
Unity of Imagery- all the images contribute to the same general vision, implication,
theme, or central image.
Williams 3
Unity of Tone & Form- the parts of the work fit together and support each other.
According to Coleridge,
But if the definition sought for be that of legitimate poem, I answer, it must be one,
the parts of which mutually support and explain each
other; all in their proportion harmonizing with, and supporting the purpose and known
influences of metrical arrangement. . .(McGuire 22).
New criticism- shows interconnections with emphasis on the work.
Mimetic-Mimesis-Imitation
Mimetic criticism- is that which asks how a literary work is important to any of the
worlds to which it is related. The best place to begin a survey of mimetic approaches is
with the connection between the work and the time in which it was written. 
Guideline
1) discover the extent of the departure or conformity of the work from the era/culture in
which it was produced. This teaches the student the values of the age in which the work
was written. This entails immersion in the history, philosophy, and esthetics, the
cultural world of the work. 
2)study the contemporary historical records of the time, (court records, diaries, and
plays). 
3) study the various audiences of the writer.
Archetypal criticism- the kind of literary study and interpretation that attempts to tie
literary works to basic patterns in cultures and thought process. This type of criticism
is based on myth because myth has its roots in peoples' cultural and religious responses
to events in their lives.
1) psychological archetypal- proven or historically repetitive mind-sets.
2) mythical archetypal-an archetypal that is preserved in mythology.
Subversive literature- is that which affirms individual variations, idiosyncrasies, or
the right of the individual to remain outside of society.
Progressive literature- is evaluated in terms of its contribution to material
improvement. This type of literature talks of building, buying, growing, technological
advancement. Progressive Literature depends on the smooth workings of society in order to
reflect progress.
Williams 4
*Marxist critics redefine progress so that it aids the worker not the manufacturer, thus
the subject of the literature is changed to class
struggle. This reflects a belief that the future holds the fulfillment of human hope. 
Pragmatic-Affective Theory
Pragmatic theory- Abrams states that this theory, looks at the work of art chiefly as a
means to an end, an instrument for getting something done, and tends to judge its value
according to its success in achieving that aim(McGuire 37). It is all the ways
(emotionally, intellectually, unconsciously, etc. . .) that literature affects one. How
we are moved by literature has to do with the extent to which the words that comprise a
work posses mimetic values for us, the capacity to strike us as comprehensible and true.

Literature must have the mimetic quality of resembling some aspect of life as the reader
knows it. The similarities may be: unconscious, mythical, archetypal, coincidental or
typical.
*Examining the point of view of the author and what the work does can aid the reader in
approaching the affective function of a work. 
*Affective approaches and mimetic approaches overlap because the determination of a works
affective power depends as much on the capacity of the work to be true to some aspect of
life, as it does upon devices and techniques of presentation. 
Expressive
The expressive approach can inquire into the way in which the work embodies some portion
of the artist or ways in which authors' biography will reveal his/her capacity for
creation. But to say that a literary work is a consequence of an event or even a series
of events, which we can document, is to lose sight of the ultimate mystery of literary
creation.
Critical Biography- the study of the events in a writers life and their relationship to
his work.
Psychoanalytical approach- the validity of this approach is founded on the assumption
that what is in a literary work is not only conscious expression, but also unconscious
expression. The conjecture that the style is the author, attempts to make a statement
about the author. McGuire seems to convey that psychoanalytical criticism is best left to
those with training in the field of psychology. 
Williams 5
? The danger of expressive criticism is in its attempt to ascertain the relationship of
the work to the artist, in that it may forget that the work and its creator are two
different entities, and in doing so neglect to appreciate the craft, discipline, and
labor that go into the creation of any work of art.
Expressive criticism is valuable because it teaches us that there is more to art than
conscious use of conscious materials.
T.S. Eliot once said, That a poet might not believe in the content of a work at
all(McGuire 58).
And in contrast,
Coleridge was noted to say, poetry is the blossom and fragrance of all human knowledge,
human thoughts, human passions, emotions, and language(McGuire 58).
Judging a literary work 
? The act of literary criticism in its two-fold state-perception and communication-is a
social act. Modifications of ones judgement are intellectual milestones-points of
reference for a new direction. 
? Critical options ask the reader to discern and define his relationship to what he has
read. The reader must go beyond their primary emotional response to the text. 
? The reader must put aside the predisposition of their morality and of previous literary
experience, provide the work with their undivided attention, and unprejudiced
acceptance.
? Critical inquiry is when the reader has a question about a text and seeks to find its
answer. This does not entail dissecting the work.
Understanding these guidelines to critical inquiry the reader can pursue their own areas
of investigation into:
Form
Shape
Interrelationship of various parts
Relationship to its creator
Effects in its own time and now
Nature of truth of the work
Reflection of its age
Ageless qualities
Clear perception of the work
The reader also must ask questions of the work such as:
Williams 6
1) does or does not reflect some set of values
2) is or is not realistic
3) does the work have the power to create emotion or pleasure
4) does the emotional appeal of the work reflect prejudice or propaganda
5) is or is not a reflection of the artists personality
6) what is the personality that the work reveals
7) the work may be lacking in continuity, coherence, or unity. It may contain a weak
style, use inappropriate words, contradictory ideas, cliches or trite phrases
8) does the work contain the power to bring about group action or reform
9) are the works devices used well
Blackmur says of this art of inquiry, Criticism is like walking, it is only for the one
who is still moving and growing(McGuire 66). 
Williams 1
Connie Williams
Professor Carroll
May 26, 2000
The Beginning's of Literary Study - For Dummies J
A Modified Version of R. L. McGuire's Passionate Attention: an introduction to literary
study.
Literature and criticism
Authors basic assumption of a book- the reading and the study of literature cannot and do
not take place outside the context of human values.
One's unique personal experiences are from whence their values are formed. These values
come to light as a reader reads or a writer writes.
Literature is a record of specific personal perceptions: H. Read-the outer image of
inward things.
Literature proves the richness not the limitations of being human.
Literary criticism is discernment-the ability to see.
The student needs to form their own critical criteria and offer an interpretation of the
work based on those criteria.
Judgmental reviewing is narrow and only one aspect of literary criticism. The value of
criticism is not that it lays down laws that any reader must follow, but that it offers a
new way of seeing a literary work, which may not have been possible to the reader.
For example in the critical analysis of a poem the reader might look for the connections
between words, stanzas, structure and ideas.
The four basic approaches to literary criticism are:
1) the mimetic
2) the pragmatic
3) the expressive
4) the objective
Mimetic approach- describes the relationship of the literary work to the world or the
universe in which the work was conceived or being read.
Pragmatic approach- describes the effects of the work on its audience.
Williams 2
Expressive approach- proposes the study of the relationship of the work to the writer:
biographical, psychological, history, culture.
Objective approach- is that which studies the work in and for itself without reference to
the world in which it exists, its effect on its readers, or the works relationship to the
author.
The work for itself
Objective criticism- the study of a literary work is done without reference to the
mimetic, pragmatic, or expressive possibilities of interpretation. This type of criticism
regards the literary work as an object in and for itself because it is art and the work
of an individual artist.
The literary work is a craft, a constructed pattern of words, and the basis for our
speculations, for its truth, its revelation, and its power.
Descriptive Critical Activities- seeks primarily to describe a text. It is the approach
to the work for itself in its simplest form. It is employed on revisions, editions, and
on the finished version. Concern lies with the resulting product and its theme or central
idea. 
Generic criticism- study of the work for itself, the types of literature this criticism
employs is poems, novels, and plays.
The study of poetics or prosody is the learning of basic metrical patterns and verbal
effects: iambic, tetrameter, couplets, alliteration, rhyme, etc.... This type of study
serves to remind us of a vital aspect of the writers' art. The writer is a craftsman of
sound and effect as well as ideas. Keep in mind that writers can be conventional or
unconventional.
Thematic approach- attempts to bring the various aspects of form as well as content
together to make a statement about the subject of a work. It may also concern itself with
the message or moral of that work.
Unity- if a literary work can generate its own meaning by virtue of its internal
coherence, then a critical method can concern itself with that esthetic universe. 
Unity of Theme- all of the work is about the same topic. 
Unity of Imagery- all the images contribute to the same general vision, implication,
theme, or central image.
Williams 3
Unity of Tone & Form- the parts of the work fit together and support each other.
According to Coleridge,
But if the definition sought for be that of legitimate poem, I answer, it must be one,
the parts of which mutually support and explain each
other; all in their proportion harmonizing with, and supporting the purpose and known
influences of metrical arrangement. . .(McGuire 22).
New criticism- shows interconnections with emphasis on the work.
Mimetic-Mimesis-Imitation
Mimetic criticism- is that which asks how a literary work is important to any of the
worlds to which it is related. The best place to begin a survey of mimetic approaches is
with the connection between the work and the time in which it was written. 
Guideline
1) discover the extent of the departure or conformity of the work from the era/culture in
which it was produced. This teaches the student the values of the age in which the work
was written. This entails immersion in the history, philosophy, and esthetics, the
cultural world of the work. 
2)study the contemporary historical records of the time, (court records, diaries, and
plays). 
3) study the various audiences of the writer.
Archetypal criticism- the kind of literary study and interpretation that attempts to tie
literary works to basic patterns in cultures and thought process. This type of criticism
is based on myth because myth has its roots in peoples' cultural and religious responses
to events in their lives.
1) psychological archetypal- proven or historically repetitive mind-sets.
2) mythical archetypal-an archetypal that is preserved in mythology.
Subversive literature- is that which affirms individual variations, idiosyncrasies, or
the right of the individual to remain outside of society.
Progressive literature- is evaluated in terms of its contribution to material
improvement. This type of literature talks of building, buying, growing, technological
advancement. Progressive Literature depends on the smooth workings of society in order to
reflect progress.
Williams 4
*Marxist critics redefine progress so that it aids the worker not the manufacturer, thus
the subject of the literature is changed to class
struggle. This reflects a belief that the future holds the fulfillment of human hope. 
Pragmatic-Affective Theory
Pragmatic theory- Abrams states that this theory, looks at the work of art chiefly as a
means to an end, an instrument for getting something done, and tends to judge its value
according to its success in achieving that aim(McGuire 37). It is all the ways
(emotionally, intellectually, unconsciously, etc. . .) that literature affects one. How
we are moved by literature has to do with the extent to which the words that comprise a
work posses mimetic values for us, the capacity to strike us as comprehensible and true.

Literature must have the mimetic quality of resembling some aspect of life as the reader
knows it. The similarities may be: unconscious, mythical, archetypal, coincidental or
typical.
*Examining the point of view of the author and what the work does can aid the reader in
approaching the affective function of a work. 
*Affective approaches and mimetic approaches overlap because the determination of a works
affective power depends as much on the capacity of the work to be true to some aspect of
life, as it does upon devices and techniques of presentation. 
Expressive
The expressive approach can inquire into the way in which the work embodies some portion
of the artist or ways in which authors' biography will reveal his/her capacity for
creation. But to say that a literary work is a consequence of an event or even a series
of events, which we can document, is to lose sight of the ultimate mystery of literary
creation.
Critical Biography- the study of the events in a writers life and their relationship to
his work.
Psychoanalytical approach- the validity of this approach is founded on the assumption
that what is in a literary work is not only conscious expression, but also unconscious
expression. The conjecture that the style is the author, attempts to make a statement
about the author. McGuire seems to convey that psychoanalytical criticism is best left to
those with training in the field of psychology. 
Williams 5
? The danger of expressive criticism is in its attempt to ascertain the relationship of
the work to the artist, in that it may forget that the work and its creator are two
different entities, and in doing so neglect to appreciate the craft, discipline, and
labor that go into the creation of any work of art.
Expressive criticism is valuable because it teaches us that there is more to art than
conscious use of conscious materials.
T.S. Eliot once said, That a poet might not believe in the content of a work at
all(McGuire 58).
And in contrast,
Coleridge was noted to