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THE EVOLUTION OF LITERARY CRITISISM: A HISTORICAL
PERSPECTIVE
Xojiyeva Shaxlo Mansur qizi
Chirchik State Pedagogical University, Tourism Faculty
Foreign language and literature
+998998405747
Scientific advisor: Umarova Zamira
Teacher, Chirchik State Pedagogical University
Abstract:
Literary criticism, the analysis and interpretation of literary works, has
evolved significantly throughout history, reflecting changing societal values, philosophical
perspectives, and literary movements. This evolution can be traced through distinct
periods, each marked by unique methodologies, objectives, and key figures.
Keywords:
Literary Criticism, Literary Theory, Interpretation, Analysis, Textual
Analysis, Hermeneutics, Methodology, Literary Movements, Historical Context, Social
Values, Philosophical Perspectives, Evolution
INTRODUCTION
ever written dates from the 20th century,
questions first posed by Plato and Aristotle are still of prime concern, and every critic who
has attempted to justify the social value of
has had to come to terms with the
. The poet as a man and
of statement both seemed untrustworthy to Plato, who depicted the physical world as an
ideas and poetry as a mere copy of the copy. Thus,
literature could only mislead the seeker of truth. Plato credited the poet with divine
inspiration, but this, too, was cause for worry; a man possessed by such madness would
subvert the interests of a rational polity.
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—still the most respected of all discussions of literature—
countered Plato’s indictment by stressing what is normal and useful about literary
art.
Although Plato and Aristotle are regarded as
, the narrowness of their
disagreement is noteworthy. Both maintain that poetry is mimetic, both treat the arousing
of emotion in the perceiver, and both feel that poetry takes its justification, if any, from its
service to the state. It was obvious to both men that poets wielded
Unlike many modern critics who have tried to show that poetry is more than a pastime,
Aristotle had to offer reassurance that it was not socially explosive.
LITERATURE REVIEW AND METHODOLOGY
Medieval period
In the Christian Middle Ages criticism suffered from the loss of nearly all the ancient
critical texts and from an antipagan distrust of the literary imagination. Such Church
Fathers as Tertullian, Augustine, and Jerome renewed, in churchly guise,
the Platonic argument against poetry. But both the ancient gods and the surviving classics
reasserted their fascination, entering medieval culture in theologically allegorized form.
Encyclopaedists and textual commentators explained the supposed Christian content of
pre-Christian works and the Old Testament. Although there was no lack of rhetoricians to
dictate the correct use of literary figures, no attempt was made to derive critical principles
from emergent genres such as the fabliau and the chivalric romance [1,34].
criticism grew directly from the recovery of classic texts and notably
from Giorgio Valla’s translation of Aristotle’s
Poetics
into Latin in 1498. By 1549
the
Poetics
had been rendered into Italian as well. From this period until the later part of
the 18th century Aristotle was once again the most imposing presence behind literary
theory. Critics looked to ancient poems and plays for insight into the permanent laws of
art. The most influential of Renaissance critics was probably
, whose
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1570 commentary on Aristotle’s
Poetics
encouraged the writing of tightly structured plays
by extending and codifying Aristotle’s idea of the dramatic unities [2, 133].
turn of the 19th century, and somewhat later in France, Italy, and the
, found
The 20th century
The ideal of objective research has continued to guide Anglo-American literary
and has prompted work of unprecedented accuracy.
Bibliographic procedures have been revolutionized; historical scholars, biographers, and
historians of theory have placed criticism on a sounder basis of factuality. Important
contributions to literary understanding have meanwhile been drawn from anthropology,
. Impressionistic method has given way to
assumptions are, if possible, excluded. Yet
demands for a more ethically committed criticism have repeatedly been made, from
1920s, through the moralizing criticism of the Cambridge don
, to the most recent demands for “relevance”[4,133].
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
The debate over poetic truth may illustrate how modern discussion is beholden to
extraliterary knowledge. Critics have never ceased disputing whether
world correctly, incorrectly, or not at all, and the dispute has often had more to do with the
support or condemnation of specific authors than with ascertainable facts about
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have (with logic questioned by some) downgraded
premium on concrete, testable statements very different from those found in poems. Some
of the most influential modern critics, notably
accepted this value order and have confined themselves to behavioristic study of how
literature stimulates the reader’s feelings. A work of literature, for them, is no longer
something that captures an external or internal reality, but is merely a locus for
psychological operations; it can only be judged as eliciting or failing to elicit a desired
response.
, the art of persuasion, was long considered a great literary art. The oratory
of Native Americans, for instance, is famous, while in Classical Greece,
muse sacred to poetry and oratory. Rome’s great orator
on
the
development
of
English
prose
is known to every American schoolchild. Today, however,
oratory is more usually thought of as a craft than as an art. Most critics would not admit
advertising copywriting, purely commercial
, or
accepted forms of literary expression, although others would hotly dispute their exclusion.
The test in individual cases would seem to be one of enduring satisfaction and, of course,
truth. Indeed, it becomes more and more difficult to categorize literature, for in modern
civilization words are everywhere. Humans are subject to a continuous flood
. Most of it is fugitive, but here and there—in
television, in the cinema, in commercial fiction, in westerns and detective stories, and in
plain, expository prose—some writing, almost by accident, achieves an aesthetic
satisfaction, a depth and relevance that entitle it to stand with other examples of the art of
literature.
CONCLUSION
The evolution of literary criticism is a fascinating journey that reflects the ever-
changing landscape of human thought and experience. From the ancient focus on morality
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and ethics to the postmodern exploration of subjectivity and power structures, literary
criticism has consistently adapted to address the concerns of its time.
By constantly engaging with literature from diverse viewpoints, literary criticism
offers a rich tapestry of interpretations, challenges assumptions, and fosters a deeper
understanding of human nature and the world around us. The field’s ongoing evolution
ensures that it remains a vital tool for understanding and appreciating the power of
literature to inspire, challenge, and shape human thought and experience.
REFERENCES
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Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural
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Literary Theory: An Introduction
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, et al.
The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism
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Modern Literary Theory: A Reader
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