Practical Criticism: Aims and Methods of Literary Analysis
Practical Criticism: Aims and Methods
In this book, I have three primary aims. First, to introduce a new form of documentation to those interested in contemporary culture, whether as critics, philosophers, teachers, psychologists, or simply curious individuals. Secondly, to provide a new technique for those who wish to discover their own thoughts and feelings about poetry (and related subjects) and why they like or dislike it. Thirdly, to pave the way for more efficient educational methods in developing discrimination and the ability to understand what we hear and read.
For the first purpose, I have used extensive quotations from material provided to me as a Lecturer at Cambridge and elsewhere. For several years, I conducted an experiment where I issued printed sheets of poems—ranging from Shakespeare to Ella Wheeler Wilcox—to audiences who were asked to comment freely in writing. The authorship of the poems was not revealed, and with rare exceptions, it was not recognized. After a week, I would collect these comments, taking precautions to preserve the anonymity of the commentators. This anonymity was crucial to ensure complete freedom in expressing their genuine opinions. Care was taken to avoid influencing them for or against any poem. Four poems were issued at a time in groupings indicated in the Appendix, where the poems I am using here can be found. I would usually hint that the poems were perhaps a mixed lot, but that was the full extent of my interference. The following week, I lectured partly on the poems, but more on the comments, or protocols, as I call them.
I. A. Richards, Introductory to Practical Criticism (1929)
Analysis of Richards’ Method
1) Meaning of the phrase “I lectured the following…”
That phrase means that instead of focusing on the poems themselves, he focused on discussing the protocols he had received.
2) Explanation of Richards’ Approach
Richards explains his aims in writing this book and how his thoughts and analysis are based on the comments his students provided on blind poems. He describes the process he followed: issuing various poems to his students without revealing their authorship and asking them to comment on them while preserving their anonymity. He would not interfere in this task, only indicating that they were receiving a variety of poems.
3) Fundamental Idea in the Passage
The authorship of the poems was not revealed. They wanted to construct a theory for the teaching of literature, believing that it was the only way to maintain certain values in society. To avoid context that may bias attention, the emphasis is to focus solely on the text, not on the authors or anything that might deviate from the interpretation of the poems. They aimed to develop a new form of criticism that eliminates any interference that distracts from the text itself.