Text: New Criticism and the “Business” of Literature

New Criticism focuses on analyzing a literary work in isolation, emphasizing close reading to uncover meaning through the text’s form, structure, and language, rather than relying on external factors such as author intent or historical context. In the following chapters, you will learn more about this type of criticism, practice with an AI-generated model essay, review a student essay, apply these skills to a text, and review a lecture presentation.