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The document then explains foundational ideas from Plato and Aristotle and outlines how later approaches such as Formalism shift attention toward intrinsic textual qualities and effective dramatic construction.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/literature/","Literature",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/literary-theory-and-schools-of-criticism-introduction-365148/365148/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/literary-theory-and-schools-of-criticism-introduction-365148/365148.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Quinn Holloway","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-31","2026-09-23",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",15,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What does the document mean by “literary theory” as lenses for criticism?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"It describes literary theory as different perspectives critics use to interpret art, literature, and culture. Each lens is tied to assumptions and helps focus attention on particular aspects of a work.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How does Plato’s view of art connect to morality and ethics?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Plato argues that art should play a limited and strict role in an ideal state and that artistic pleasures can corrupt citizens. If art does not teach morality and ethics, it becomes damaging to its audience.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What is central to Formalism according to the document?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Formalism emphasizes intrinsic features within the text itself rather than external social, historical, or ethical statements. 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These different lenses allow critics to consider works of art based on certain assumptions within that school of theory. The different lenses also allow critics to focus on particular aspects of a work they consider important.  \nFor example, if a critic is working with certain Marxist theories, he might focus on how the characters in a story interact based on their economic situation. If a critic is working with post-colonial theories, she might consider the same story but look at how characters from colonial powers (Britain, France, and even America) treat characters from, say, Africa or the Caribbean. Hopefully, after reading through and working with the different literary theories, you will gain new ammunition in your battles of literary analysis.  \nTimeline  \n􀁸 Moral Criticism, Dramatic Construction (c. 360 BC-present)  \n􀁸 Formalism, Neo-Aristotelian Criticism (1930s-present)  \n􀁸 Psychoanalytic Criticism (1930s-present)  \n􀁸 Marxist Criticism (1930s-present)  \n􀁸 Reader-Response Criticism (1960s-present)  \n􀁸 Structuralism/Semiotics (1920s-present)  \n􀁸 Post-Structuralism/Deconstruction (1966-present)  \n􀁸 New Historicism/Cultural Studies (1980s-present)  \n􀁸 Post-Colonial Criticism (1990s-present)  \n􀁸 Feminist Criticism (1960s-present)  \n􀁸 Gender/Queer Studies (1970s-present)  \nMoral Criticism and Dramatic Construction (c. 360 BC-present)  \nPlato  \nIn Book X of his Republic, Plato may have given us the first volley of detailed and lengthy literary criticism. The dialog between Socrates and two of his associates shows the participants of this discussion concluding that art must play a limited and very strict role in the perfect Greek Republic. Richter provides a nice summary of this point: \"Poets may stay as servants of the state if they teach piety and virtue, but the pleasures of art are condemned as inherently corrupting to citizens\" (Richter 19) .  \nOne reason Plato included these ideas in his Socratic dialog is because he believed that art was a mediocre reproduction of nature: \"What artists do … is hold the mirror up to nature: They copy the appearances of men, animals, and objects in the physical world … and the intelligence that went into its creation need involve nothing more than conjecture\" (19) . So in short, if art does not teach morality and ethics, then it is damaging to its audience, and for Plato this damaged his Republic.  \nGiven this controversial approach to art, it's easy to see why Plato's position has an impact on literature and literary criticism even today (though scholars who critique work based on whether or not the story teaches a moral are few-virtue may have an impact on children's literature, however) .  \nAristotle  \nIn Poetics, Aristotle breaks with his teacher (Plato) in the consideration of art. Aristotle considers poetry (and rhetoric), a productive science, whereas he thought logic and physics to be theoretical sciences, and ethics and politics practical sciences (38). Because Aristotle saw poetry and drama as means to an end (for example, an audience's enjoyment) he established some basic guidelines for authors to follow to achieve certain objectives.  \nTo help authors achieve their objectives, Aristotle developed elements of organization and methods for writing effective poetry and drama known as the principles of dramatic construction (39) . Aristotle believed that elements like \"language, rhythm, and harmony\" as well as \"plot, character, thought, diction, song, and spectacle\" influence the audience's catharsis (pity and fear) or emotional satisfaction with the work (39). And so here we see one of the earliest attempts to explain what makes an effective or ineffective work of literature.  \nLike Plato, Aristotle's views on art heavily influence Western thought. The debate ","cbCaidJEC0GaUnaa","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidJEC0GaUnaa","pdf",450629,18,"English","# Introduction\n# Timeline of Criticism Schools\n# Moral Criticism and Dramatic Construction\n## Plato\n## Aristotle\n# Formalism (1930s-present)\n## Form Follows Function: Russian Formalism, Neo-Aristotelianism\n# Key Questions for Formalist Analysis","[{\"question\":\"What does the document mean by “literary theory” as lenses for criticism?\",\"answer\":\"It describes literary theory as different perspectives critics use to interpret art, literature, and culture. Each lens is tied to assumptions and helps focus attention on particular aspects of a work.\"},{\"question\":\"How does Plato’s view of art connect to morality and ethics?\",\"answer\":\"Plato argues that art should play a limited and strict role in an ideal state and that artistic pleasures can corrupt citizens. If art does not teach morality and ethics, it becomes damaging to its audience.\"},{\"question\":\"What is central to Formalism according to the document?\",\"answer\":\"Formalism emphasizes intrinsic features within the text itself rather than external social, historical, or ethical statements. It focuses on form and how textual elements contribute to literary quality.\"}]","Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism - Introduction | PDF",1790160192,28]