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    Historical Criticism Major Tenets

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    Edward Almazan
    Historical criticism analyzes literary works through their historical context by examining 1) when the work was created, 2) the work as an artistic product, 3) the work's impact on its own time, and 4) the work's significance to later readers. It relies on collecting and interpreting historical data objectively to understand influences like religion, politics, science on the work. As the text itself is not enough, historical criticism promotes using a scientific method to study a work's relationship to historical events and ideas.

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    Historical Criticism Major Tenets

    Uploaded by

    Edward Almazan
    51 views8 pages
    Historical criticism analyzes literary works through their historical context by examining 1) when the work was created, 2) the work as an artistic product, 3) the work's impact on its own time, and 4) the work's significance to later readers. It relies on collecting and interpreting historical data objectively to understand influences like religion, politics, science on the work. As the text itself is not enough, historical criticism promotes using a scientific method to study a work's relationship to historical events and ideas.

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    Historical criticism analyzes literary works through their historical context by examining 1) when the work was created, 2) the work as an artistic product, 3) the work's impact on its own time, and 4) the work's significance to later readers. It relies on collecting and interpreting historical data objectively to understand influences like religion, politics, science on the work. As the text itself is not enough, historical criticism promotes using a scientific method to study a work's relationship to historical events and ideas.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as rtf, pdf, or txt
    51 views8 pages

    Historical Criticism Major Tenets

    Uploaded by

    Edward Almazan
    Historical criticism analyzes literary works through their historical context by examining 1) when the work was created, 2) the work as an artistic product, 3) the work's impact on its own time, and 4) the work's significance to later readers. It relies on collecting and interpreting historical data objectively to understand influences like religion, politics, science on the work. As the text itself is not enough, historical criticism promotes using a scientific method to study a work's relationship to historical events and ideas.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 8

    HISTORICAL CRITICISM

    Major Tenets
    Historicism strives to establish relationships between
    1. the historical context in which the work was produced
    2. the work as an imaginative artifact
    3. the impact of the work on the social and cultural elements of its own
    world, and
    4. the significance of the work for the reader in a later and different
    world
    Historical criticism:
    relies on researchers/readers powers of observation, to think both
    inductively and
    deductively
    focuses on researchers/readers ability to collect and interpret data
    asserts that scientific objectivity and careful observations/comparisons
    are valid windows to
    the understanding of literary texts
    acknowledges that literary works were influenced by the great ideas of
    their time
    religiously, politically, psychologically, scientifically, etc.
    assumes the text itself is insufficient to explain itself
    promotes a scientific method for interpreting the impact of historical
    acts and artifacts upon
    any given literary text

    Typical
    Questions
    What were the literary influences on this work, and what works did it

    influence in turn?

    How does this work reflect the world view of its time or the social
    milieu of the writer?

    How does it reflect its authors personality and opinions?

    Blackadder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM-
    Y1ch4b5c
    Historical criticism can include:
    Textual analysisexamination of manuscripts and
    early editions

    Bibliographythe listing and annotation of works available on a given


    author or literary
    subject
    Biographical criticismthe study of someones life to gain insight into a
    literary text
    Genre studiesexamination of a work of art in light of other works of the
    same type to
    determine its place in literary history
    Source studiesthe search for a works origins in sources available when
    the work was
    produced

    The history of ideasthe influence of beliefs or ideas current when a


    literary work was
    produced

    Psychobiographyuse of modern psychology to examine how an


    authors psychology affects,

    or is revealed in, a work

    Sociological criticismthe influence of class struggles, cultural events,


    and social institutions
    on an authors work of life
    Associated Terms
    Primary evidence (information from first-hand experience)
    Secondary evidence (using credible resources for groundwork)
    Beginning Circumstances
    Arose during the European Renaissance, during which time a loss of classical
    traditions led to a renewed interest in the ancient (i.e., Greek and Roman)
    sources of Western culture. European Catholicism created cultural stability
    that kept science, written history, art, music, literature and architecture alive.
    This culminated a rebirth of humanism, through which historical criticism
    emerged.
    Strengths

    & Advantages

    The theory provides an intelligent and informed factual context for study
    It does not base all understanding upon the text itself; it seeks
    corroboration
    Many other types of criticism use its techniques (especially for purposes
    of verification)
    Weaknesses & Limitations
    We dont have direct access to historical events, but only peoples
    accounts of them
    May lack genuine objectivity; historical support or evidence may be
    relative or subjective
    terms
    Critics too are enmeshed in history, so any pretension to objectivity us
    just that: pretension
    Its often criticized as being male-centered, since most history is focused
    on and/or written by
    males; the female point of view has not been considered nearly as much
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NKXNThJ610&list=RD-
    NKXNThJ610&index=1
    Major Players &
    Works
    Altick, Richard
    Literary Research
    Altick, Richard
    American Literature

    The

    Art

    of

    Selective Bibliography for the Study of English and

    Gage, John
    The
    Shape
    of Reason
    Hockett, Homer
    The Critical Method in Historical
    Research and Writing Sanders, Chauncey
    An
    Introduction to Research in English Literary History Slavens,
    Thomas
    Sources of Information
    for Historical
    Research
    Turabian, Kate
    A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, These,
    and Dissertations
    Veeser, H. Aram
    The
    New
    Historicism

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