First published 2021
This comprehensive survey examines how literary criticism evolved from classical antiquity to the present day in English-speaking cultures. Wimsatt presents competing critical theories with balanced objectivity, showing how each approach emerged in response to the creative literature of its era. The work spans four volumes, with the final section dedicated to modern criticism. Volume Four explores tragedy and comedy, symbolism, the critical theories of I. A. Richards, semantic approaches to literature, the contributions of Eliot and Pound, developments in fiction and drama criticism, and archetypal analysis. Rather than treating critical movements in isolation, Wimsatt demonstrates how they engage in ongoing dialogue with both literary works and rival theoretical frameworks. The book offers readers a systematic understanding of how aesthetic judgment and interpretive methods have developed over centuries.
Genres: history, literary-fiction, non-fiction, criticism, academic
Vibes: thought-provoking
Period: Classical Antiquity, Modern
336 pages · Kindle Edition · Routledge