Literary criticism is a disciplined attempt to analyze some aspect or aspects of one or more works of art—for our purposes, mostly literary art (plays, novels, short stories, essays, poems). Serious literary critics study their primary materials very closely and repeatedly, examine the contexts in which the works they are studying were produced, and read widely in the work of other literary critics on their subject before producing their own original analysis of a work or works of literature. Generally, literary criticism is published in one of three forms: in a book; in an article published in a professional journal, whether print-based or online; or in an article published in a book as part of a collection. These formats insure that experts in the appropriate field(s) have reviewed the literary criticism and judged its accuracy in points of fact, its attention to scholarship in the field, etc. These formats are peer-reviewed sources (also known as "refereed sources"). Peer-reviewed means that a source has been rigorously scrutinized by other experts before publication.
Reading a variety of views increases your knowledge of your subject and helps you to demonstrate to your reader that you have considered views other than your own.
Reading literary criticism enables you to weigh your conclusions against others’ to check your logic and to see whether you have covered all significant aspects of your argument.
Citing others’ views makes you appear a more knowledgeable writer to your readers.
Citing literary critics whose views agree with yours can strengthen your case (although you must still supply the appropriate evidence).
Taking issue with a critic with whom you disagree can also strengthen your case if you present your counterargument effectively.
Literary criticism can enable you and your readers to see how evaluations and analyses of literature have changed over time.
Encyclopedia articles do not offer true literary criticism, nor do Cliff’s Notes, Spark Notes, or “overviews” of authors, works, or literary topics available online. Some websites post serious scholarship, but many are run by fans or students who may or may not know more than you do(!) Wikipedia, for example, is not a peer-reviewed source; any one can post and update information on this site and, as a result, it is not a reliable resource. If you find your sources either through the MLA Bibliography database online (the bibliographical resource of the Modern Language Association), you are unlikely to go wrong:
Use books and articles from the Loyola/Notre Dame Library or other libraries and articles located via the library databases. Internet material must have been published in a book or journal before being placed online. (Recall your library workshop.)
Good sources can be found through Project Muse and the MLA Bibliography database, but avoid the “Biographies” and “Overview” tabs in the Literature Resource Center. This information can be useful to provide background for your research, but you should not use it in your paper as one of the documented sources.
The MLA Bibliography database is the primary research database for researchers in literature. If a this database doesn’t supply a .pdf of an article you want to look at, write down the full publication information, and search for the journal in the ejournals section of our library’s homepage.
“Literary criticism is the study, analysis, and evaluation of imaginative literature. Everyone who expresses an opinion about a book, a song, a play, or a movie is a critic, but not everyone’s opinion is based upon thought, reflection, analysis, or consistently articulated principles.” Mark Lund
So often we imagine literary critics as adults who have spent years in various colleges reading texts and then publishing their brilliant thoughts. Literary scholars do exist and they often make profound comments about all types of literature---visual, performed, and written. However, a critic can be four or forty. If an individual offers a sound analysis based on connections made within the text, then the individual is a critic. For instance, to say that the film The Lion King is about learning to share would be a thematic stretch. To say that the movie deals with coming of age and identity themes is sound criticism.
Criticism is not limited to movies and literature. Critics review art, theatre, music and more. One critic declared that Eminem was a master of puns, that Toy Story was a classic tale of “identity”, and that Van Gogh’s Scream is a visual interpretation of an individual’s struggle to find a voice in society. Each of these critical statements was made by a student in Baltimore County Public Schools. Certainly though, a single thought does not reflect a complete criticism. To develop literary criticism or any type of academic criticism, a student needs to support his/her ideas with examples from the text. In the case of Toy Story, Woody is adjusting to his newfound role in sharing Andy’s affection with a second toy, Buzz Lightyear. Of course, Buzz Lightyear is convinced that he is the actual Buzz Lightyear, and he only recognizes his true identity at the climax of the movie when he leaps off of the steps, hoping that he can fly. He can’t. The remainder of the movie details the process as Buzz finds a purpose in his new identity as Andy’s toy. Thus, when the BCPS student said that Toy Story is a classic “identity” story, he/she was able to substantiate that claim with details and explanations from the text/film.
Whether the individual has made a career out of writing criticism or he/she is a student completing a paper for a high school course, if the individual is making a claim and able to support it with connections made within the text, then
Why do we have to analyze everything?
Why can’t we just enjoy the books we read in English?
Part of the joy of reading is the ability to discuss the literature or text with others who have shared the same experience. In other words, if you and your friends have read the Twilight series then talking about the books may increase your enjoyment of them. And, believe it or not, there are times when adopting a critical approach and then writing criticism can be used for an authentic audience. Last year, the University of Maryland College Park asked applicants to write about a character in literature who influenced them. One BCPS student wrote about the character, Bella from Twilight, commenting that Bella was a weak female character who defined herself by the man in her life. She supported this stance with examples from the text. Do you agree with the student’s opinion? How does Bella’s character compare to Katniss in the Hunger Games? If Bella is defined by the man in her life, what defines Katniss? You could also extend this to ask what defines Hermione Granger from Harry Potter series?
Literary criticism is not “reading between the lines.” Rather, it is the actual act of reading the lines very carefully, in a disciplined, and informed manner. For this reason, as part of our instruction in Baltimore County Public Schools, we teach the critical approaches in grades 6-12 so that all students have the “keys” and language to enhance their conversations about literature. The approaches to literature help the students reveal the subtle and the obvious details of a text. These same approaches can be used to discuss art, music, theatre, and even social and controversial issues and subject matter.
The following critical approaches can be applied to all areas of life from literature to an advertisement and even to political decisions. We thank Mr. Mark Lund who drafted this original document for Baltimore County Public Schools in 1996.
Information respectfully borrowed, for educational purposes, from https://herefordhs.bcps.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_3705599/File/Academics/English/New%20Lit%20Crit%20Primer.pdf