The Functions of Criticism: A Lecture Delivered Before the University explores how literary criticism has evolved to study literature through history, theory, and the life of language itself.
It shows how modern criticism judges a work by its context, its form, and the author’s personality, helping readers think clearly about what makes writing meaningful.
This edition presents a thoughtful overview of criticism’s main strands—from history and comparative study to the idea that criticism should reflect the “color, light and shade, the soul and body” of a work. It considers the roles of universities, critics, and readers in shaping taste, and it weighs the tension between rules and creative freedom.
- Understand how historical and scientific ideas have influenced literary study over time.
- See why critics balance form, substance, and an author’s personality in their judgments.
- Learn how different critical approaches—historical, comparative, and personal—shape interpretation.
Ideal for readers of literary history and criticism who want a clear view of how critique has developed and why it matters to reading today.