NEW CRITICISM
Dr. S. Sreekumar
[Please refer to the earlier posts “Orientation of Critical
Theories” & ‘Formalistic Approach’.]
Introduction
New
Criticism is one of the Objective Theories [see
M. H. Abrams in the blog].
Objective theories consider a work of art in isolation from all external
references. For example, the theory suggests that one can appreciate ‘A Prayer
for My Daughter’ (W. B. Yeats) without going through the biographical details
of Yeats. [This will appear to be an
extreme position] This theory
has been rare in literary criticism. As an all-inclusive approach to poetry, it
began to evolve in the late 18th and 19th centuries.
According to the Objective theory a
work of Art is a self-sufficient entity. It is autonomous and can exist without
any biographical/historical/social assistance. A work of Art is a heterocosm, a
world of its own, independent of the world into which we are born.[Remember the fictional worlds created by R.
K. Narayan and Thomas Hardy. The worlds (Malgudi & Wessex) pictured in
their novels is different from the real world we live in]
