Lit Interpretation - Ransom - "Criticism, Inc."

John Crow Ransom

     “Criticism, Inc.”  Part 1

a.     There are three types of people who have some understanding of criticizing.

                                               i.     The Artist – His understanding is more intuitive than objective and he doesn’t have formal training in theory.

                                             ii.     The Philosopher – Can describe the functions of fine art, but his understanding is general and doesn’t have knowledge of specific works.

                                            iii.     The University Professor – He is learned, but not critical and not committed to making judgments.

b.     Ransom’s believes University Professors are best suited to create literary standards.

c.     Criticism must:

                                               i.     Become more objective, more scientific.

1.     It’ll never be an exacting science, but moving towards objective standards enable better understanding.

2     “Criticism, Inc.”  Part 2

a.     People need to be able to study literature itself.

b.     Believes the creation of systematic literary criticism would be revolutionary and spectacular.

c.     Criticism – The attempt to define and enjoy the aesthetic or characteristic values of literature.  

d.     Not anybody can criticize.

                                               i.     It’s not for those who require definitive answers.

                                             ii.     It’s a balance of being critical and specific at the same.

                                            iii.     It’s hard to critique new works as they haven’t stood the test of time.

3.     “Criticism, Inc.”  Part 3

a.     English Departments are best suited to communicate the understanding of literary art.

                                               i.     Criticism is public and speaks to universals.

                                             ii.     Appreciation is individualistic and private.

b.     We need to adopt a mind frame of when the work was published to critique.

                                               i.     It’s difficult and problematic to eliminate modern thought when critiquing and older work.

c.     Criticism allows us understand more about the work including “dialectical possibilities.”

4.     “Criticism, Inc.”  Part 4

a.     It’s easier to describe criticism by what it is not.

                                               i.     It’s not a series of personal judgments.  It requires objectivity on the work itself, not the immediate effect on the viewer.

                                             ii.     It’s not the words we use to describe the work.

                                            iii.     It’s not a synopsis or paraphrasing of the work.  The plot is an abstract from the content.

                                            iv.     It is not a historical study.  History can be used in analyzing the work, but a comparative mechanical approach does not do it justice.

5.     “Criticism, Inc.”  Part 5

a.     The motives of the reviewer are as mixed as the performers.

                                               i.     The critique evaluates the presentation, the interpretation, and provides criticism.

                                             ii.     There is no authority for criticism.

Works Cited

Ransom, John Crowe. “Criticism, Inc.” .  The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism.  Ed. Vincent B. Leitch et al.  2^nd ed.  New York: W.W.Norton & Co., 2010. 971-982. Print.