new criticism
C2Academic / Literary
Definition
Meaning
A mid-20th century school of literary theory that emphasizes close reading of the text itself, focusing on its formal elements (like structure, imagery, tone) rather than the author's biography, historical context, or the reader's emotional response.
A method of literary analysis that treats the work of art as a self-contained, self-referential object. It seeks to understand a text's meaning through its internal patterns of language, paradox, ambiguity, and tension, often dismissing external factors as the 'intentional fallacy' or the 'affective fallacy'.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term is historically specific, referring to a dominant movement in Anglo-American literary criticism from the 1930s to the 1960s. It is often contrasted with later theories like structuralism, post-structuralism, and cultural studies. The 'new' is now historical.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical or definitional differences. The movement was influential in both British and American universities, though its core proponents (e.g., Cleanth Brooks, John Crowe Ransom) were primarily American.
Connotations
In both varieties, it can connote a rigorous, formalist approach, but also an outdated or ahistorical method, depending on the speaker's theoretical stance.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in American academic discourse due to the movement's stronger institutional roots in the US, but the term is standard in literary studies globally.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] applies New Criticism to [Text].[Text] is analysed through the lens of New Criticism.The principles of New Criticism require [Action].Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[Not applicable for this academic term]”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
[Not applicable]
Academic
The dominant term for the specific historical movement. 'Her thesis examines the transition from New Criticism to post-structuralism in the analysis of modernist poetry.'
Everyday
Virtually never used.
Technical
Used precisely within literary theory and the history of criticism to denote the specific school and its methodologies.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- [Not applicable as a verb]
American English
- [Not applicable as a verb]
adverb
British English
- [Not applicable as an adverb]
American English
- [Not applicable as an adverb]
adjective
British English
- A New-Critical reading of the sonnet.
- His approach is decidedly New Critical.
American English
- A New Critical analysis of the novel.
- She takes a New Critical stance.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- [Too complex for A2]
- New Criticism is a way to study books.
- It focuses on the words in the book itself.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a NEWly published book being CRITIQUED solely for the words on its pages, ignoring the author's life story (NEW author? Not relevant for this CRITICISM).
Conceptual Metaphor
THE TEXT IS A WELL-WROUGHT URN (a famous New Critical metaphor: a self-contained, complex artifact to be admired for its intricate form).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid a direct calque like 'новая критика' without context, as it could be misinterpreted as simply 'recent criticism'. In academic Russian, it is correctly translated as 'новый критицизм' or 'новая критика' but is a defined term.
- Do not confuse with 'literaturovedenie' (literary studies) in general; it is a specific school within it.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'New Criticism' to mean any modern or recent critique (e.g., 'The new criticism of the government's policy...').
- Confusing it with 'practical criticism', which is a related but distinct British pedagogical method.
- Misspelling as 'New Critisism'.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is a central tenet of New Criticism?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
As a dominant, exclusive school, it is not. However, its core practice—close reading—remains a fundamental skill in literary analysis, often integrated into other theoretical frameworks.
The 'intentional fallacy' is the error of judging a work's meaning by the author's stated intentions. The 'affective fallacy' is the error of judging a work by its emotional effect on the reader. New Critics rejected both.
Key figures include John Crowe Ransom (who coined the term), Cleanth Brooks, Robert Penn Warren, William K. Wimsatt, and Monroe C. Beardsley.
They are parallel movements with similar formalist interests. Russian Formalism (e.g., Shklovsky) focused more on 'defamiliarisation' and literary devices, while New Criticism focused more on paradox, ambiguity, and the organic unity of the individual work.