literarycritique

Literary critique, also known as literary criticism, is the systematic analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of literary works. It involves close reading of language, form, imagery, and narrative technique, together with consideration of how a text reflects or challenges social, historical, and cultural contexts. The aim is to illuminate meaning, assess artistry, and situate a work within broader literary conversations.

Criticism employs a range of approaches. Formalist or New Critical methods focus on the text itself, using evidence from the work to support an interpretation. Historical and biographical critics examine the conditions of production and reception. Theoretical lenses such as psychoanalytic, Marxist, feminist, postcolonial, and post-structuralist frameworks offer interpretations that connect literature to psychology, economy, power, identity, and ideology. Structuralist and post-structuralist analyses explore underlying systems of language and narrative, while reception theory emphasizes readers’ responses and the life of a work beyond its publication.

Historically, literary critique has deep roots in classical rhetoric and evolved through modern scholarship. In the 20th century, movements like New Criticism emphasized close reading independent of authorial intent, while later approaches broadened the field through theory and interdisciplinarity. Today, literary critique is interdisciplinary and often engages digital methods, archival research, and public or popular forms of interpretation.

Practice typically involves formulating a clear thesis about a text, supporting it with careful quotation and analysis, addressing counterarguments, and situating claims within ongoing scholarly conversations through precise citation.