Essay on Modernism and New Criticism - 2997 Words

Modernism and New Criticism The ways in which we define the importance of texts is constantly changing. We can look back and see critical theories used, such as Historical Criticism, Reader-Response Criticism and Psychoanalytic Criticism. Each of these theories offers a different way to interpret a text. However, when looking back over the texts of a specific era, shouldn’t the type of criticism we used for a book be based on that time period? Defining the Modernist Era of literature seems almost impossible, since the definition of modernism often seems to constitute anything from being â€Å"new and common† to â€Å"new and uncommon† (Barzun). This term seems to be able to stretch from the 1500’s to present; but for the sake†¦show more content†¦Thus, New Criticism was a reaction against Historical Criticism, which tended to focus on the outside forces, such as those that influenced a writer or even a reader, and not the text itself. Despite the New Critics separating the text from its author and the time period, often the historical and sociological aspects inside the text were still made relevant. These aspects could not be completely ignored by New Critics, but since they were inside the text they could still be used to understand the texts meaning. These aspects pertained to the text themselves and shouldn’t be confused by the use of literary criticism, which may use these influences and how they were outside of the text. Oddly enough, what I’m about to say almost seems to deconstruct the whole idea of New Criticism, as I use Historical Criticism to talk about the relationship of New Criticism and Modernism. The Modernist Era was a time when traditions began to fail. A lack of faith in the security of old traditions, mostly a result of WWI, made many people fall away from the old values which had seemed important prior to the War. The writing of this Era was obviously affected; and within the works from this period there is a sense of loss, as in TS Eliot’s epic poem The Waste Land. This poem is often looked at as the embodiment of the state of the world after WWI. The â€Å"Waste Land† being the place whereShow MoreRelatedPostmodernism And The Future Of Literature1214 Words   |  5 Pages19th century until the end of World War II as modernism and literature after World War II as postmodernism. Although there are no explicit definitions, common traits can often be fo und that distinguished these two categories. In this paper, I will be examining modernism and postmodernism literature, as well as whether postmodernism still continue until now, focusing on Italo Calvino’s If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler and Anne Carson’s Nox. 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