Personal & Historical Aspects of Criticism

 

We read criticism because we wish to understand and enjoy the author’s works in a better way. Criticism helps the readers and the authors as well. But as the students of literature, we must also focus on the personal and historical aspects of criticism. No critic lives in a vacuum. His critical comments are always partially coloured by his own personality. Moreover, change of time or age too plays an important role in criticism. So we must also consider the historical aspects of criticism.

PERSONAL ASPECTS OF CRITICISM:

1.  Every critic has his own ideology or theory. He follows one particular theory and examines the author’s works from that perspective only. Hence, different critics believing in different theories come out with different judgments. This may be confusing for the readers sometimes and may also be beneficial as the readers gain different interpretations from different critics which enhance the reader’s own understanding.

2. The personal opinions of the critics on a work of art are sometimes politically prejudiced which misleads the readers.

3.  The critic’s comments on a work of art hinder the original meaning of the text. It also stops the readers from thinking from their own perspectives.

HISTORICAL ASPECTS OF CRITICISM:

1.  One critic’s comments on literature in one age changes from the other critic’s comments on the same literature. This is so because, with the passage of time, the ideologies, likes and dislikes of the people keep on changing from time to time. What was held dear to the Elizabethan audience may not be good for the audience in the modern world.

2.  John Bunyan’s ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ proved to be a failure during the 17^th century. Hume rejected this work as the worst piece of literature. But the same work became highly popular and influential during the 19^th and 20^th century. Macaulay (19^th century) called it a wonderful book. Gosse (20^th century) calls it as perfect in its kind.

CONCLUSION:

Historical study of literature and criticism provides us different perceptions, views and perspectives. It is like a journey where we move from classicism to romanticism and then to realism and surrealism and so on. Life and literature are dynamic, always changing and so we must be aware of these changes which take place in literature. This is possible only when we study literature and criticism historically, age by age.

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