Brief Summary
This YouTube video provides a comprehensive overview of literary criticism, covering key figures and their contributions. It begins by defining criticism and the role of a critic, then explores classical versus liberal criticism. The discussion moves to Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Horace, Philip Sidney, Samuel Johnson, Jonathan Swift, Matthew Arnold, and T.S. Eliot, detailing their major works, critical concepts, and perspectives on poetry and drama.
- Literary criticism defined and explained.
- Classical vs. Liberal criticism.
- Key figures: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Horace, Philip Sidney, Samuel Johnson, Jonathan Swift, Matthew Arnold, and T.S. Eliot.
- Key concepts: Mimesis, Catharsis, Objective Correlative, Dissociation of Sensibility, and Touchstone Method.
Intro
The video introduces the topic of literary criticism, prompted by numerous requests. The presenter asks viewers to like, share, and subscribe to the channel. He apologizes for a technical delay and greets viewers before beginning the session.
What is Criticism?
The video defines literary criticism and the role of a critic. A critic evaluates literary works, providing insights to readers and writers. The critic deciphers the author's meaning, informing the audience whether a work is worth their time. The author is likened to a god, the critic to a priest, and the reader to a devotee, with the critic serving as a medium between the author and the audience.
Old vs New Criticism
The video explains the difference between old and new criticism, also known as classical and liberal criticism. Classical criticism, or legislative criticism, operates on rules, judging works based on whether they exhibit the greatest thought, emotion, and expression. Liberal criticism, also known as romantic or aesthetic criticism, is free from such rules, valuing natural and original work over adherence to strict guidelines.
Socrates
The video transitions to questions about Socrates' criticism, focusing on his central targets: false knowledge and pretended wisdom, particularly among the Sophists in Athens. Socrates criticized the Sophists for prioritizing persuasive speech over truth. A famous quote attributed to Socrates, "I know that I know nothing," is discussed. The video also explores Socrates' criticism of poets and artisans in "Apology," noting his belief that they lacked real understanding of their work. Socrates was executed for corrupting the youth and impiety, as he questioned traditional religion and promoted a divine inner voice.
Plato
The video shifts to Plato's philosophy, particularly his concerns about allowing poets in an ideal state, citing their tendency to spread immoral examples and stir emotions. Plato's work "Ion" is referenced, where Socrates argues that a poet's inspiration is a divine gift without rational understanding. In "Republic," Plato critiques poetry for being twice removed from the truth, as it imitates objects that are already copies of ideal forms. Plato also criticizes democracy for allowing the ignorant majority to rule. Plato's key works, including "Republic," "Apology," "Crito," "Phaedo," and "Symposium," are mentioned.
Plato's Key Concepts
The video explains Plato's key concepts, including his theory of Mimesis, where the world is a copy of an idea generated by God. Poetry is considered twice removed from reality because it is a copy of a copy. Plato's "Republic" is discussed in detail, including the equity of men and women, the three classes in the state (rulers, guardians, and producers), and the allegory of the cave, where most people live in ignorance, mistaking shadows for reality. Plato advocates for a society guided by reason and wisdom, criticizing traditional religion and democracy.
Aristotle
The video transitions to Aristotle, highlighting his disagreement with Plato's theory of forms and his defense of poetry. Aristotle's "Poetics" is introduced, emphasizing its focus on tragedy and its elements, such as plot, character, thought, diction, melody, and spectacle. The concept of catharsis is explained as the purification of emotions through pity and fear. Aristotle's ideal tragic hero is described as a person of high status with a tragic flaw (hamartia) who experiences a reversal of fortune (peripeteia) and gains knowledge through suffering (anagnorisis).
Aristotle's Poetics
The video continues discussing Aristotle's "Poetics," detailing the six elements of tragedy and the three unities (time, place, and action). Aristotle's preference for tragedy over comedy is noted, with comedy seen as creating violence by hurting people's feelings. The video explains that Aristotle founded the Lyceum in Athens and tutored Alexander the Great.
Horace
The video introduces Horace and his work "Ars Poetica," emphasizing the dual aim of poetry to instruct and delight. Horace's concept of "ut pictura poesis" is mentioned, suggesting that painting and poetry share similar aesthetic principles. The video notes that Horace lived during the Augustan Age of Rome.
Philip Sidney
The video discusses Philip Sidney's "Defence of Poesy" as a response to Stephen Gosson's "School of Abuse." Sidney argues that poetry is the highest form of knowledge, combining philosophy and history while teaching through delight. He defends poetry against accusations of being immoral, asserting that poets are creators, not mere imitators, and that poetry can inspire virtue and moral action. Sidney praises Chaucer, Spenser, and Surrey, while criticizing contemporary poets for their poor taste.
Samuel Johnson
The video transitions to Samuel Johnson, highlighting his major critical works, including "Preface to Shakespeare" and "Lives of the Poets." Johnson's "Preface to Shakespeare" is discussed, emphasizing his defense of Shakespeare's realism and his critique of the classical unities. Johnson's "Lives of the Poets" is presented as a blend of biography and criticism, focusing on the moral character and literary merits of 52 English poets. Johnson is credited with coining the term "metaphysical poets" and is known for his unbiassed and witty judgments.
Jonathan Swift
The video explores Jonathan Swift's satirical prose, particularly "A Tale of a Tub," which critiques corruption in religion, and "Gulliver's Travels," which satirizes scientific rationalism and Enlightenment ideas. "The Battle of the Books" is discussed as an allegory of the conflict between ancient and modern authors, with Swift siding with the ancients. The video explains Swift's use of the bee and the spider to symbolize the difference between ancient and modern writers.
Matthew Arnold
The video transitions to Matthew Arnold, emphasizing his role in defining the function of the critic in society. Arnold's "The Function of Criticism at the Present Time" is highlighted, emphasizing the need for critics to spread the best that is known and thought in the world with intellectual detachment. The video explains Arnold's concept of the "touchstone method," which involves comparing new poetry with passages from great classical works. Arnold's concept of "high seriousness" is also discussed, emphasizing the importance of truth and morality in great poetry.
Arnold's Key Concepts
The video continues discussing Matthew Arnold, explaining his key concepts such as "Culture and Anarchy," which advocates for the pursuit of perfection through knowledge, and "Hellenism and Hebraism," which represents the pursuit of knowledge and beauty versus moral discipline and obedience. Arnold's preference for Hellenism is noted.
T.S. Eliot
The video concludes with T.S. Eliot, highlighting his influential essay "Tradition and the Individual Talent." Eliot's concept of tradition as a dynamic, not static, legacy is explained, along with his theory of impersonality in art, where the poet's personality should not interfere with the poetry. Eliot's concept of the poet as a catalyst in a chemical reaction is also discussed. The video references Eliot's essay "Hamlet and His Problems," where he critiques Shakespeare's "Hamlet" as an artistic failure and introduces the concept of the objective correlative.
Eliot's Key Concepts
The video continues discussing T.S. Eliot, explaining his key concepts such as the objective correlative, which involves using objects, situations, or events to evoke emotions in the reader. The video also explains Eliot's concept of the unification of sensibility, where emotion and intellect work together, and his concept of dissociation of sensibility, where emotion and intellect are separated.
Outro
The video concludes with a thank you message and a reminder about the upcoming MCQ session.
