MA 2nd Semester (New), 2020 – ENGLISH
(Literary Criticism: Classical to Modern)
1 (a) Answer the following questions in one/two sentences: (1×8=8)
Q1. On what ground did Plato reject poets from his ideal society?
Ans: Plato rejected poets because they imitate appearances rather than truth, arousing emotions and distracting citizens from rational and moral living.
Q2. What, according to Aristotle, is ‘Catharsis’?
Ans: According to Aristotle, Catharsis is the emotional purification or purgation of pity and fear experienced by the audience through a tragic performance.
Q3. State any two faults or defects of style pointed out by Longinus in his work On the Sublime.
Ans: Longinus mentions (1) bombast or exaggeration, and (2) frigidity—using forced or artificial language that weakens true sublimity.
Q4. What is meant by the phrase ‘art for art’s sake’?
Ans: It means art should exist for its own beauty and pleasure, not for moral instruction or social purpose.
Q5. State any one feature of Neoclassical Criticism.
Ans: Neoclassical criticism values order, reason, and adherence to classical rules in literature.
Q6. Mention the names of any two exponents of Romantic Criticism.
Ans: William Wordsworth and S. T. Coleridge.
Q7. Who was the main figure behind the Touchstone Method?
Ans: Matthew Arnold.
Q8. Mention the name of the book by F. R. Leavis in which the essay Line of Wit appears.
Ans: The essay Line of Wit appears in F. R. Leavis’s The Common Pursuit.
1 (b) Choose the correct option (1×4=4)
(i) Principles of Literary Criticism is a book by
✅ I. A. Richards
(ii) Which one among the following points cannot be considered a theme of Samuel Johnson’s Preface to Shakespeare?
✅ Intentionality
(iii) Who defined poetry as the ‘spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions’?
✅ William Wordsworth
(iv) In which year was S. T. Coleridge’s Biographia Literaria published?
✅ 1817
1 (c) Fill in the blanks (1×4=4)
(i) The root of Modern literary criticism can be traced to France from where it diffused to England and other parts of Europe.
(ii) Plato mentions an ‘ancient quarrel’ between poetry and philosophy in his book titled The Republic.
(iii) Sublimity is a quality whose effect is to ‘transport’ the reader out of themselves.
(iv) John Crowe Ransom first used the term New Criticism.
2. Answer any five (each in 50 words): (2×5=10)
Q1. What, according to Wimsatt and Beardsley, does the term ‘Affective Fallacy’ mean?
Ans (50 words):
Wimsatt and Beardsley used the term Affective Fallacy to describe the error of judging a poem by its emotional effect on the reader rather than by its intrinsic qualities. They argue that literature should be evaluated through textual analysis, not personal feelings or emotional responses of readers.
Q2. Who was the founder of the journal Scrutiny? What was its aim?
Ans (50 words):
Scrutiny was founded by F. R. Leavis in 1932. The journal aimed to promote high standards of literary criticism and moral seriousness in reading literature. It focused on the evaluation of English literature as a form of cultural and ethical discipline, encouraging close and responsible reading.
Q3. Explain the concept of Touchstone Method.
Ans (50 words):
The Touchstone Method, introduced by Matthew Arnold, is a way to judge poetry by comparing it with the best lines of great poets such as Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare. These “touchstones” serve as standards of excellence, helping critics evaluate the quality and emotional truth of other poems.
Q4. State any two important characteristics of English criticism during the Renaissance.
Ans (50 words):
Renaissance criticism emphasized (1) the imitation of classical writers such as Aristotle and Horace, and (2) the belief in the moral and educational purpose of poetry. It sought harmony between art and morality, focusing on reason, humanism, and the perfection of language and artistic expression.
Q5. Write briefly on any one theme evident in Biographia Literaria.
Ans (50 words):
One major theme in Coleridge’s Biographia Literaria is the theory of imagination. Coleridge distinguishes between primary and secondary imagination, viewing it as the creative power that shapes reality and gives artistic unity to poetry. It is the vital force that transforms ordinary perception into artistic creation.
Q6. Mention two faults of Shakespeare as pointed out by Samuel Johnson.
Ans (50 words):
Samuel Johnson criticized Shakespeare for neglecting poetic justice and mixing comic and tragic elements in the same play. He also felt Shakespeare’s plots sometimes lacked proper moral purpose. However, Johnson praised him for his realistic depiction of human nature and universal appeal of characters.
3. Answer any four of the following questions (each in around 150 words): (3×4=12)
Q1. Write briefly on Pope’s idea of Nature.
Ans (150 words):
Alexander Pope’s concept of “Nature” in his Essay on Criticism does not simply mean the physical world but refers to the universal order, reason, and harmony that govern both life and art. To Pope, “Nature” is the ideal model of beauty and truth that poets and artists should imitate. He believed that following Nature is equivalent to following reason and classical rules since Nature itself reflects divine order. Pope saw the great classical writers—such as Homer and Virgil—as those who perfectly imitated Nature in their works. For him, true art does not oppose rules but refines them to express the eternal laws of nature and human behavior. Hence, imitation of Nature meant a balance between imagination, reason, and decorum, creating works of clarity, proportion, and moral insight.
Q2. What, according to Wordsworth, is the function of poetry?
Ans (150 words):
According to William Wordsworth, the function of poetry is to reveal the beauty of human emotions and nature through simple and sincere language. In his Preface to Lyrical Ballads, he describes poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” that originates from emotion recollected in tranquility. Poetry, to him, should communicate universal human experiences and awaken sympathy and moral sensitivity in readers. He rejected artificial poetic diction and emphasized language “really used by men” to express genuine feelings. The true purpose of poetry is moral and spiritual—it refines the emotions, strengthens the bond between man and nature, and brings peace to the human heart. For Wordsworth, poetry educates through delight, making it a powerful medium of emotional truth and inner harmony.
Q3. What are the three ways to maintain disinterestedness according to Matthew Arnold as stated in his The Function of Criticism at the Present Time?
Ans (150 words):
Matthew Arnold’s idea of “disinterestedness” means maintaining an objective, impartial attitude in literary criticism. In The Function of Criticism at the Present Time, he says a true critic must rise above personal bias, political opinion, or emotional attachment. Arnold identifies three ways to achieve this disinterestedness:
- By cultivating intellectual curiosity — the critic should approach literature with a desire to know the best that has been thought and said.
- By avoiding dogmatism and prejudice — criticism should not serve any political, religious, or personal motive.
- By maintaining moral and intellectual balance — the critic must focus on truth and beauty as universal standards.
Through such impartiality, criticism can guide society toward cultural improvement and higher ideals. Thus, disinterestedness is essential for criticism to remain an independent, truth-seeking activity.
Q4. Explain Longinus’ concept of the ‘sublime’.
Ans (150 words):
Longinus, in his classical treatise On the Sublime, defines the sublime as the highest form of excellence in language and thought that uplifts the reader’s mind and gives a sense of greatness or grandeur. The sublime is not mere beauty but a powerful emotional experience that transports the soul beyond ordinary limits. Longinus identifies five sources of the sublime: (1) greatness of thought, (2) strong and sincere emotion, (3) proper use of figures of speech, (4) noble diction, and (5) dignified composition. He believes true sublimity comes from the greatness of the writer’s soul and not just from rhetorical technique. The effect of sublimity is ecstasy—it makes readers feel elevated and inspired. Hence, for Longinus, the sublime expresses both intellectual depth and emotional intensity that create lasting impact in literature.
Q5. Describe briefly Aristotle’s use of the word ‘Catharsis’ in his definition of tragedy as evident in Poetics.
Ans (150 words):
In Poetics, Aristotle defines tragedy as “an imitation of an action… which through pity and fear effects the Catharsis of such emotions.” The term Catharsis means purification or purgation. According to Aristotle, a tragic play arouses pity and fear in the audience—pity for the suffering hero and fear that similar misfortune could happen to anyone. However, by the end of the tragedy, these emotions are cleansed, leaving the audience morally uplifted and emotionally balanced. Thus, Catharsis has both emotional and moral significance—it transforms negative emotions into insight and harmony. This process helps humans understand the inevitability of fate and the limits of human action. Therefore, tragedy becomes not just entertainment but a means of psychological and ethical purification, making Catharsis the most profound concept in classical literary theory.
4. Answer any three of the following questions (each in around 250 words): (5×3=15)
Q1. What are Aristotle’s views on the tragic hero in Poetics?
Ans (250 words):
In Poetics, Aristotle describes the qualities of a tragic hero, who is the main character in a tragedy. According to him, the tragic hero should be a person of high position and good character—someone who is respected and admired by others. However, the hero is not perfect. He has a weakness or a small mistake called hamartia (error or flaw). This flaw leads him from happiness to misery and finally to downfall.
The hero’s fall should not be because of wickedness or evil, but because of his own error in judgment. Through this fall, the audience feels both pity and fear—pity because the hero suffers unfairly, and fear because such suffering could happen to anyone.
Aristotle gives the example of Oedipus from Oedipus Rex, who is a noble man but unknowingly commits a great sin. His downfall makes the audience feel sadness and moral understanding.
Thus, the tragic hero teaches that human greatness and weakness exist together. His suffering purifies the emotions of pity and fear in the audience, completing the aim of tragedy—catharsis. Aristotle’s tragic hero is noble, human, and emotionally moving.
Q2. Discuss Wordsworth’s theory of poetic diction as expressed in Preface to Lyrical Ballads.
Ans (250 words):
In Preface to Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth explains his new and simple theory of poetic diction. He believed that poetry should use the real language of common people instead of the artificial and decorative language used by earlier poets. For him, poetry is “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings,” and such feelings can be expressed only in simple, natural words.
Wordsworth said that the language of ordinary men, especially those living close to nature, is pure and full of emotion. He wanted to bring this natural speech into poetry. He rejected the idea that poets must use difficult or grand words to sound poetic.
He also believed that poetry and prose are not very different in language. What makes poetry special is not its words but the emotions and imagination behind them.
Thus, Wordsworth’s theory made poetry more natural, emotional, and democratic. It allowed poets to write about the life and feelings of common people in a language everyone could understand. His idea of poetic diction started a new age in English literature, known as the Romantic Movement.
Q3. What are the main characteristics of T.S. Eliot’s essay Tradition and the Individual Talent?
Ans (250 words):
In Tradition and the Individual Talent, T.S. Eliot explains his ideas about poetry and the poet’s role in literature. He says that a poet should not only be original but must also connect with the great writers of the past. According to Eliot, “tradition” means the historical sense — the awareness of the past and its influence on the present. A good poet must study earlier poets and understand how literature has developed through time.
Eliot argues that poetry is not just the expression of personal feelings. The poet must control emotions with reason and make them universal. He introduces the idea of the “impersonal theory of poetry,” meaning that poetry should not show the poet’s personal life directly. Instead, the poet becomes a medium through which universal emotions are expressed in an artistic form.
He also uses the idea of the “catalyst.” Just as a chemical reaction happens without changing the catalyst, the poet’s personality helps create poetry but does not appear in it.
Thus, Eliot combines respect for tradition with the need for new talent. A great poet is one who can absorb tradition and still create something fresh and meaningful.
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