The Death of the Author by Roland Barthes

โ€œThe Death of the Authorโ€ is an essay written in 1967 by French literary critic and philosopher Roland Barthes. It is a highly influential and provocative essay (in terms of the various claims it is making) and makes various significant development and changes in the field of literary criticism. Through this relative short but artistic โ€ฆ Read more

Characteristics of Language | 10 Main Characteristics

In this article, we will discuss the Characteristics of Language. Human beings areย communicative and to form a cohesive social organization they need communication methods. Communication requires the medium which we call language. Apart from the written and spoken form, language can be gestural, symbolic etc. What is Languageย Essay ย Thus, language forms the cement that helps โ€ฆ Read more

Why the Novel Matters Summary by D.H. Lawrence

Introduction Lawrenceโ€™s work Why the Novel Matters was published after in death in 1936. The text throws light on the ability of a novel to help human beings reach and realize their potential and fill their life with possibilities that are restricted by Science, philosophy or religion. Perception of โ€˜Being Aliveโ€™ The author builds the โ€ฆ Read more

The Study of Poetry by Matthew Arnold

Introduction Contrary to the Platonic prediction, Arnold believes that poetry has significant use in the process of knowledge creation and progression of human beings. As an artistic endeavor, Poetry provides reflection and commentary on the finer aspects of survival and struggles. It is elemental to the investigations in Theology and Science. Arnold claims that the โ€ฆ Read more

Tradition and the Individual Talent Summary

The essay โ€œTradition and the Individual Talentโ€ sheds light on the necessity of past precedents while judging the works of new poets. Any form of evaluation and commentary must interlink beauty and impact with an apt historical investigation. Grading a poem Eliot asserts the need to examine the classics when observing the poetry of the โ€ฆ Read more

Rasa Theory (Indian Aesthetics); Summary & Analysis

Introduction Rasa Theory asserts that entertainment (in the drama/performance) is expected to evoke Rasa or joy (artistic) but that is not the primary goal. The primary goal is instead to create parallel life in front of the audience to experience a sense of oneโ€™s own (i.e. Consciousness, spiritual and moral question). Bharatamuni believes that the โ€ฆ Read more

Structuralism in Literature

Almost all literary theorists since Aristotle have emphasized the importance of โ€˜structureโ€™ which they conceive in diverse ways, in analyzing a work of literature. (Abrams.M.H โ€” A Glossary of Literary Terms, Sixth Edition, 1993, p-280). Introduction โ€˜Structuralismโ€™ now designates the practice of critics who analyze literature on the explicit model of the modern linguistic theory. โ€ฆ Read more

The Function of Criticism by T.S. Eliot Summary

Introduction The essay The Functions of Criticism written by T. S. Eliot was published in 1923. It was a response to Murry who challenged the ideas of Eliot presented in her previous work โ€œTradition and Individual Talentโ€ (1919) in his work โ€œRomanticism and Traditionโ€.ย This essay has been divided into four parts: Part 1 deals with โ€ฆ Read more