The Theories Of New Criticism

During the early part of the 20th century, the formalist theories of New Criticism arose as the preeminent approach to teaching literature in college and high school curricula. Centered on the idea that there is a single, fixed meaning inherent in a literary work, New Criticism is text centered with no consideration given to the author or the reader. The text exists in and of itself, and New Critics advocate methodical and systematic reading, focusing on the structure of the text to define its meaning (Definition, n.d.).
Louise Rosenblatt’s groundbreaking work in Literature as Exploration (1938/1995) and later refinement of her original thesis in The Reader, the Text, the Poem (1978), rejects the idea of this single, fixed meaning inherent in the text. It is her theory that the individual creates meaning through a transaction with the text based on personal associations, thus lifting the reader to a prominent, essential position along with the author and the text (Mora