
Criticism and Objectivity
Raman Selden(Author)
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 30. July 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
176 pages
978-1-032-52747-5 (ISBN)
Description
First published in 1984 Criticism and Objectivity argues that literary critics should not abandon the concept of knowledge. English literary criticism has long considered 'theory' to be alien to the felt experience of readers and writers; the Romantic attitude towards reason and feeling has continued to inhibit the conceptual development of criticism. The similarities between the role of theory in science and in literary criticism imply the need for 'objectivity' to be redefined rather than abandoned.
While accepting that tests are relatively open structures defying final interpretations, Dr Selden argues that their plurality is as much the effect of historical conditions as of the nature of language or subjectivity. He calls for an historical criticism capable of 'conducting' the voices of the text without resorting to formalism or reducing the text to its 'background'. This book will be of interest to students of literary theory.
While accepting that tests are relatively open structures defying final interpretations, Dr Selden argues that their plurality is as much the effect of historical conditions as of the nature of language or subjectivity. He calls for an historical criticism capable of 'conducting' the voices of the text without resorting to formalism or reducing the text to its 'background'. This book will be of interest to students of literary theory.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Postgraduate
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Weight
330 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-032-52747-5 (9781032527475)
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Schweitzer Classification
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Criticism and Objectivity
Book
08/2023
1st Edition
Routledge
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Criticism and Objectivity
E-Book
07/2023
1st Edition
Routledge
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Raman Selden
Criticism and Objectivity
E-Book
07/2023
1st Edition
Routledge
€39.49
Available for download
Content
Acknowledgements 1. Introduction: The Edge of the Abyss 2. Objectivity and Theory in English Criticism 3. Literary Criticism and Science 4. Russian Formalism, Marxism, and 'Relative Autonomy' 5. The Plural Text and History 6. The Reader and the text 7. Literary Criticism and the Theory of the Subject Bibliography Index