A Short History of Literary Criticism

by Vernon Hall

book

Genres: Nonfiction, Literature, Literary Criticism, Criticism, Academic

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

Reviews

[Yasna · Rating 1 out of 5]

این واقعا کتاب خوبی برای شروع نقد نبود، بیخودی مفاهیم رو پیچیده کرده و خیلی جاها ادبیاتش اصلا قابل فهم نیست.

[Shaghayegh · Rating 4 out of 5]

تاریخ نقد عزیزم ، ترم خوبی رو در کنارت گذروندم ، با اینکه کلاست ساعت هفت و نیم صبح بود و من هشت و ربع می‌رسیدم سر کلاس 🙂😂خواهش میکنم در امتحان بهم کمک کن تا پاس شم😭😂

[˗ˏˋ n a j v a ˊˎ˗ · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★½

Vernon Hall’s A Short History of Literary Criticism covers most of what you need to know about the pre–New Criticism era, from Plato to T. S. Eliot. What makes it easy to read is its short yet well-rounded overview of each critic and their ideas. That said, this same brevity is also why I wouldn’t recommend the book on its own for anyone new to literary criticism—especially students. Without the guidance of a knowledgeable teacher or professor, readers may miss important nuances or connections.

As a companion to this book, I’d recommend checking out the second chapter of Bressler’s Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice , which includes additional critics and perspectives that help broaden and deepen your general understanding of the field.

[Paras2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

concise and sufficient. although for self-study it's a bit vague due to the compactness of the ideas and also the part about Marxism is no good.
this should be read along Bressler for better understanding.

[Teri-K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and helpful introduction to the topic. These short essays really prepared me to read the longer works and helped me to see how ideas replied to those which came earlier. My main complaint is that I wish they would have been longer, but that just means I have more digging and discovering to do myself. It has been illuminating to see how ideas formulated perhaps many centuries ago still resonate within today's works.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took Twentieth-Century Criticism as an undergraduate and as a graduate student, so I feel comfortable with literary criticism from the 1900s on. However, I never took a course that explained the movements in criticism before the twentieth-century, and for that, I really appreciate this book. It starts with Plato and works it way up to New Criticism, which was one of the major movements in the 20th century and is therefore a type of criticism that I know a good deal about. I love that this book completes my education in criticism, albeit roughly and briefly.
The book is an overview of major critics and movements in criticism. The author says in his Preface that it's meant to be a companion for students, not to stand in for a course or for longer excerpts by each critic. For that, it satisfies the purpose. Each section is brief but thorough with quotes from exemplary texts along with explanations and context. My favorite part about the book is the movement. Hall makes great connections between one section and the next, so the sense of a whole is dominant as one reads. I like also that Hall gives us critics from various locations as well (not Eastern locations, unfortunately, but not just from England or the United States either).
Overall, this is a good book and a useful reference. I took notes and know that I will refer to them for teaching or for personal use. I recommend it as a filler if you've never taken criticism classes or as a refresher if you've studied literary criticism but have forgotten key critics and movements.

[Negar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book as an introduction to literary criticism. To the point and precise.

[Narges Shegeft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I think it could be better written, yet it was one of my favorite books among those being taught at university.

[Roya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't see why not everyone is in love with this book- because I AM.