Literary Criticism 2

ENGL 461

Dr. Aida Haroon

Schools of Literary Criticism

Biographical Criticism
 Introduction

This approach begins with the simple but

central insight that literature is written by
actual people and that understanding an
author’s life can help readers more thoroughly
comprehend the work. Hence, it often affords
a practical method by which readers can
better understand a text.
 Introduction ( Cont.)

However, a biographical critic must be

careful not to take the biographical facts of a
writer’s life too far in criticizing the works of
that writer. The biographical critic focuses on
explicating the literary work by using the
insight provided by knowledge of the author’s
life.
 Introduction ( Cont.)

Biographical criticism assumes that

knowledge of an author’s life is important to
knowledge of an author’s work. It assumes
that the more we know about the author’s
ideas, beliefs, and personality, the better we
can interpret his/her work.
 Introduction ( Cont.)

Thus biographical critics tend to search for any

and every bit of evidence that might help
illuminate where, how, and with whom the
writer lived and the persons with whom the
writer most often interacted.
 Introduction ( Cont.)

Especially important to biographical critics is

the discovery of any other written works by
the author, as well as any testimony about the
writer from people with whom s/he was in
close contact.
 Introduction ( Cont.)

In short, any kind of information about the

author’s life tends to be valued by
biographical critics, who try to put together all
the parts of the biographical puzzle and offer
justifiable interpretations of the data.
 Definition

Biographical criticism is a form of 

literary criticism  which analyzes a
writer's biography to show the
relationship between the author's life
and his works of literature.
 Definition

Biographical criticism is often

considered a critical method that sees a
literary work chiefly, if not exclusively, as
a reflection of its author's life and times.
 Characteristics

• It views literature as the reflection of an

author's life and times (or of the characters'
life and times).
• It is necessary to know about the author and
the political, economical, and sociological
context of his times in order to truly
understand his works.
 Advantages

• Works well for some which are obviously

political or biographical in nature.
• Places allusions in their proper classical,
political, or cultural background.
 Disadvantages

• The assumption that we can know the intent,

thoughts, purposes of the author is
sometimes not correct.
• The tends to reduce art to the level of
biography and make it relative (to the times)
rather than universal is sometimes not
accepted.
Checklist of Biographical Critical Questions

• What has the author revealed in the work about his/her

characteristic modes of thought, perception, or
emotion?

• What place does this work have in the artist’s

literary development and career?

• What influences—people, ideas, movements, events—

in the writer’s life does the work reflect?
 Checklist of Biographical Critical Questions
( Cont. )

• To what extent are the events described in the

word a direct transfer of what happened in
the writer’s actual life?

• What modifications of the actual events has

the writer made in the literary work?
 Checklist of Biographical Critical Questions
( Cont. )

• What are the effects of the differences

between actual events and their literary
transformation in the poem, story, play, or
essay?
 Take-home Activity
Based on your biographical criticism of the poem ‘’
The Road Not Taken’’, answer the following questions:
1) Who is the poet ?
2) What is his nationality?
3) When was he born?
4) When was this poem first published?
5) What is the main theme of this poem?
6) Describe four events in the poet’s life that this poem
reflects.