E.K. Sparks
Dept of English
Clemson U
July 2001

Orientations of Critical Theory
After M.H. Abrams,
from The Mirror and the Lamp


 
 

Mimetic Crititcism/ WORLD
  • What is art's subject matter?
  • What aspect of nature is favored for imitation?
  • What is the relation of art to nature?
  • What are the canons of accuracy?
  • Is icastic or fantastic imitation favored?
  • What is more important? Pleasure or truth?
  • To what degree is the mind implicated in the act of creation (objective vs.subjective)?
  • What is the attitude towards imitating the ancients (emulation)?
  • Does the artist imitate the general or the particular?
 Objective Criticism/ THE WORK
 
  • What is the definition of poetry?  How is  poetry different from the other arts?
  • What is the origin of poetry?
  • In what terms is the form of poetry defined?
  • Is there a distinction btw. form and content?  Which is more important?
  • Is the poem seen as autotelic, self-sufficient?
  • What is the nature of poetic language?  Is  it seen as different from ordinary language?
  • How is poetry different from prose?
  • What are the parts of the work and what is the principle of their inter-relationship?
  • Is there a doctrine of Organic Unity?

  Pragmatic Criticism/ AUDIENCE
 
  • What is the use/ function of poetry?
  • By what mechanisms does poetry affect the audience?
  • What should poetry teach?
  • Where does pleasure come in?
  • How important is pleasure in comparison to other ends?
  • How much emphasis on the rules?What are the most important rules and why are they important?
  • What is the highest or representative genre and why?
  • ?s there a theory of catharsis?
  • What is the assumed nature of man?
  • What human capacities/ faculties is art concerned with?
  
    Expressionist Criticism/ AUTHOR
 
  • What faculty of the mind creates poetry?
  • Is there a dichotomy btw. reason & imagination?
  • What is the nature of the creative process?
  • What metaphors are used to describe  creativity?
  • How important are learning, discipline,  and emulation vs. inspiration?
  • How much does the poet's sincerity, and/or originality matter?
  • Is there a theory of the symbol as a link  btw. the individual mind and the external world?