New Criticism

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“close reading” (135|141)

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Looking at specific examples (from the text) that illustrate how a work’s formal aspects relate to its theme.

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Authorial intention (136)

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the interpretation of the text that the author meant for the reader to adopt.

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"the text itself" (136)

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referred to by early supporters of the New Critical lens in an effort to center arguments and evidence on a work’s substance rather than the author’s biography. Focusing on this allows for stronger evidence and accounts for the fact that authors may not reach their goals for the piece (and may exceed them or accomplish different goals).

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intentional fallacy (136)

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the mistake of believing the author’s goals for a piece to be reflected in the text’s meaning—sometimes there is a disconnect between intention and reality.

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affective fallacy (137)

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the mistake of believing that one’s feelings about an aspect of a work (as a reader) are reflected in the text’s meaning—they are just unimportant projections.

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formal elements (137)

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Aspects such as symbols, plot, characterization, metaphors, rhyme, meter, point-of-view, and structure that create the shape of a work, the study of which can be a method of close reading.

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work as a "timeless, autonomous (self-sufficient) verbal object (137)

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A text will always stay the same (and so will interpretations) because everything you need is in the text's context, not an external context. The specific order of the text matters, so the text cannot be reproduced and stand on its own.

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heresy of paraphrase (137)

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Since the order of words in a text matters as well as their specific connotations, changing the language of a work into colloquial terms ruins it--only its specific word order can convey the same meaning.

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literary language (138)

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Unlike other types, this is used specifically with the associations connected with words in mind as well as the poignancy and beauty of the text’s construction, though it has other purposes applicable to the “real world.”

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organic unity (138)

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when various aspects of a literary work (e.g., various formal elements) are ordered to successfully integrate with one another, creating an intricate piece that supports the work's meaning at every turn. A work with this quality is able to accurately represent the convoluted nature of humankind and provide a comforting structure.

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paradox (138)

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a language device used to represent the convoluted nature of humankind by outlining a seemingly impossible situation or suggestion that seems to counter itself. However, the statement will convey a complex truth.

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irony (139)

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a language device used to represent the convoluted nature of humankind by contrasting an event/ characterization/ statement with its own framework, thus lessening its credibility. The reader must then rethink the statement or form an interpretation that goes beyond the literal.

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ambiguity (140)

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a language device used to represent the convoluted nature of humankind through the use of images, plot turns, and even individual words that could possibly have more than one meaning.

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tension (140)

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a language device used to represent the convoluted nature of humankind by pairing opposites to create contrast.

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concrete universals (140)

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Images, characters, etc. have meaning on two levels: a specific, literal level and a broad, symbolic level. This is considered a type of tension because the literal world contrasts with the figurative world.

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theme (138|141)

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What the work says about its subject(s)—allows the contradictions created through paradoxes, ironies, ambiguities, and tensions to converge in an ordered fashion to accomplish a purpose. That purpose would be to develop, explain, and expand upon the theme. “Good” themes comment upon the whole of human experience.

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formalism (141)

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Refers to New Criticism. The structure and shape of a work is considered to be the key to an insightful interpretation.

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figurative language (141)

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It has a meaning that varies from the literal meaning.

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imagery (142)

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A type of figurative language that uses sensory descriptions to stir up emotions in readers and create a context reflective of the work’s theme.

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symbolism (142)

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A type of figurative language that uses repeated images as concrete universals so that the plot goes on while a deeper commentary on the text’s subject is possible. A connection between the literal and figurative meaning of the symbol usually exists.

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metaphor (143)

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A type of figurative language that directly compares two (different) objects/concepts; readers know that certain qualities of the two objects are posited as similar.

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simile (143)

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A type of figurative language that indirectly compares two (different) objects/ concepts by using “like” or “as.”

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intrinsic criticism (148)

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Another term for New Criticism that its proponents coined to indicate their commitment to interpreting works solely based on the text itself without considering other contexts or sources.

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extrinsic criticism (148)

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The term used by supporters of New Criticism to refer to lenses that rely on perspectives, tools, and contexts separate from the text itself.

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objective criticism (148)

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Another term for New Criticism that its proponents coined to refer to the centrality of the formal aspects of a text in their interpretations, which were supposedly unbiased because of the reliance on the text itself.