The document presents an overview of I.A. Richards as a literary critic, detailing his background, critical theories, and pioneering role in New Criticism. It emphasizes his focus on close reading, the importance of linguistic elements, and the psychological aspects of poetry. The conclusion questions the effectiveness of psychological criticism in capturing the mystic nature of poetic experience.

1. 1
I.A. Richards as a Critic
A Presentation by
Zenab Jehangir Khan
To
Ms. Sameena Saeed

2. 2
Contents
• Literary Background
• Theory of Literary Criticism
• Iconoclast
• New Criticism
• Close Reading
• Views Regarding a Critic
• Imaginative Literature
• His Conception of Poetry
• Definition of a Poem
• Conclusion

3. 3
Literary Background
• A psychologist
• No formal education in literature
• His keen interest in literary criticism lead him
to formulate new concepts

4. 4
Theory of Literary Criticism
• His work mainly deals with poetry
• Dismisses all visual imageries from poetic
criticism
• Meaning of the words is important
• Judgment should be made on the basis of
experience
• Richards has tried to use science to remove
the scientist's objections to poetry

5. 5
Iconoclast
• Staunch advocate of close textual and verbal
analysis
• Unhistorical method of criticism
• Made criticism factual, scientific and
complete
• Criticism is not mere application of set rules
or intuition

6. 6
New Criticism
• Richards is pioneer of New Criticism.
• Claims that the text is adequate for
interpretation
• Examines the formal elements, i.e.
characterization, plot, images, setting etc
• Linguistic elements, i.e. ambiguity, paradox
etc
• Unique and universal theme in a work of art
• Objective criticism

7. 7
Close Reading
• Text works as a unified whole
• Main theme is established through formal or
stylistic elements
• First step is to read text carefully
• Second is to look for patterns
• Third is to ask the questions of “why” and
“how”
• Authorial intentions are avoided

8. 8
Views Regarding a Critic
• “Adept at experiencing”
• “must be able to distinguish experiences
from one another”
• “he must be a sound judge of values”
- “The Analysis of a Poem”
• Adequate knowledge of psychology is
important for a critic.

9. 9
Imaginative Literature
• A kind of psychological adjustment in the
author which is valuable for personality
• The reader can have this adjustment
communicated to him by reading the work
• “scientific imagination”
• “Reconciliation” of “discordant impulses”
- “The Imagination”

10. 10
His Conception of Poetry
• Meaning as the starting point of poetry
• Words determine the meaning
• Technical features like rhyme and rhythm
adds to the aesthetic of a poem
• “…experience is valuable” in poetry
• Experience is composed of two parts, i.e.
“technical part” and “critical part”
- “The Language of Criticism”
•

11. 11
Definition of a Poem
• He has defined poem as:
…as a class of experience which do not differ
in any character more then a certain amount
varying for each character, from a standard
experience. We may take as this standard
experience the relevant experience of the
poet when contemplating the completed
composition.
- “The Definition of a Poem”

12. 12
Conclusion
• Richards’ criticism is scientific
• His emphasis on experience seems abstract.
• Psychological approach to literary criticism
makes it too technical and dull a subject
• Can psychological criticism ever explain the
mystic nature of poetic experience?

13. 13