WHAT IS LITERARY CRITICISM: Agwanga Lucy, Atizoyo Judith, Mbabali Desire, Muhindo Karen and Nalubanja Joyce Namusisi

The literary critic attempts to understand literature: he arrives: he analyzes , interprets, evaluates, judges and compares works of literature, literary philosophies, literary methods and techniques and literary forms and traditions; he examines the relationships among the various qualities of literature in their larger meanings to culture and civilization(Snipes,1970). Strictly defined, literary criticism refers to the act of interpreting and studying literature. A literary critic does more than simply discuss or evaluate the importance of a literary text rather seeks to reach a logical and reasonable understanding of not only what a text’s author’s intention for it to mean but also what different cultures and ideologies render it capable of meaning(Joseph n.d.). Literary criticism refers to a genre of writing whereby an author critiques a literary text, work of fiction, a play or poetry( Saylor foundation n.d.). Literary criticism according to Austin Bukenya refers to a kind of text technology where the critic approaches texts as sets of signifying systems. Aristotle came up with description, evaluation and analysis of literary works. He developed the terms mimesis and catharsis where mimesis is the view of art as imitation and representation while catharsis is to do with the impact of the work of art on the readers’ feelings. A nineteenth century literary critic, Matthew Arnold as quoted by Bressler(2003) describes literary criticism as “A disinterested endeavor to learn and propagate the best that is known and thought in the world.” Literary criticism involves three aspects that are elaborated below: THE WRITER: This is the one who produces the text that is to be or is criticized. The writer is open to all experiences that are the same as those undergone by others around him or her. That is to say, the attitudes, moods, values about life in the work of art are a result of the writer’s way of life. This is why it is very important to find out about the historical background of the writer, the meanings attached to the words used by the writer in the text as per its production time, the society for which the text was written and also the beliefs and attitudes ( socio-economic and political) held during the time of writing the literary text. THE TEXT This is what is criticized for without it literary criticism is unnecessary. However, for literary criticism to be a success, the form of the words used in a given text has to be clearly understood and respected for the sake of retaining the meaning that the writer intended. THE READER This is the one who criticizes the text and without whom literary criticism is non-existent. The reader is exposed to the same moods, feelings and attitude of the writer through the text. The reader brings the text to life as he or she acquires all kinds of impressions. These impressions vary from reader to reader in relationship to their ages, tastes and preferences, and so on. For instance, what may make a child laugh may not do so for the adult. Every reader comes with their own experiences, knowledge, beliefs and attitudes to a given work which influence their response or impression of a given work of art. Literary criticism also has five basic approaches that can be referred to as the 5Rs as elaborated below: Read This is where the text is consumed so to say internalized by the reader as he or she cannot criticize it without having read the text first. Respond Here the reader’s emotions are put to the test moods,, attitudes are aroused by the writer through the text. For example, a reader may cry laugh, get disgusted, irritated, scream, fear,all because of the text. This is his or her response. Research The reader sets out to find out more about the text, what criticism has been made about it, the history of the text in terms of the author, the time in which it was written, the language of the time in which it was written. In so doing, the reader is able to understand the form of the text and the writer’s intention for producing the text. Review The reader here analyses and puts into perspective what he or she has read, the response to it and the research on the text. Record The reader then notes down what he or she has come up with from the reading, response, research and the review on the text.