To be sure, literary criticism is about much more than just saying, “I liked this book” or “I didn’t like this book.” There’s a reason why some of the top universities in the world offer PhD programs in literary criticism and theory. Rather, it exists alongside every other book, just as it exists alongside every book of literary criticism that talks about books that exist alongside other books… A book’s reader has his own experiences that he brings to the reading experience. Richards writes in the preface of his book Principles of Literary Theory, “A book is a machine to think with…”Ī book’s author has goals when she writes a book. Welcome to the wonderful world of literary criticism! It’s a huge world, with a rich history stretching back to antiquity and no shortage of competing methods and schools of thought.Īt its most basic, you might say literary criticism means going beyond the assumption that a book simply is what it is. What in the world could there possibly be to reconsider about such a seemingly innocent book, especially one that’s so beloved by so many generations? The book is Shel Silverstein’s enduring classic of children’s literature, and we’re willing to bet you’ve read it.īoy plays with tree, boy grows up, boy takes from tree, tree gets reduced to stump, tree remains unconditionally happy throughout. Even if there weren’t a picture of it above, you’d probably be able to give a pretty good description of the The Giving Tree‘s cover.
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