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Biographical Literary Criticism

             The sole purpose of literary criticism is to get to the core of the text and discover what message the author is attempting to convey. Knowledge of an author's life and experiences can be the key to an otherwise bolted door leading to the deeper comprehension and interpretation of a literary work.
             Literature has more meaning and depth when we understand circumstances which prompted the writer to write. An author's experiences, along with many other factors, help to shape his writing. Furthermore, a work of literature holds more importance to readers if the writer has credibility for writing on a certain topic. For example, how seriously would we take a book about the woes and poverty of Mexican immigrants if it had been written by Bill Gates (Werth 3). .
             A reader simply does not connect himself as strongly with a written piece if he does not know the background and circumstances in which it was written. In fact, an author's work can even be misinterpreted and the whole point of the work can be lost if the reader does not know a small measure of the author's biographical information, even if the information is just one important fact. "Learning, for example, that the poet Josephine Miles was confined to a wheelchair or that Weldon Kees committed suicide at forty-one will certainly make us pay attention to certain aspects of their poems we might otherwise have missed or considered unimportant (Kennedy 2174)." It is of the utmost importance that the reader knows the circumstances surrounding the composition of the piece of literature. This helps the reader understand the intention of the author. .
             However, it takes a superb literary critic not to take biographical criticism to the extreme in the interpretation of the text. Biographical information should only deepen the message that is already in the text. The reader must be careful to not rely on this biographical information too heavily in his understanding of the work (Kennedy 2175).


Essays Related to Biographical Literary Criticism

1. Langston Hughes

Amaris Baxter Langston Hughes; "Mother to Son" 1) 1930's; Realism 2) Biographical Theory of Criticism 3) Post-structural Theory of Criticism Through the literary works of Langston Hughes, it is clear to see that he uses his own style and language to portray realistic traits. The biographical theory of criticism can easily be used to criticize Hughes work, as well as the post-structural theory. ... Biographical Theory of Criticism "Mother to Son" Closely parallels the life o...

  • Word Count: 482
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Langston Hughes

Amaris Baxter Langston Hughes; "Mother to Son" 1) 1930's; Realism 2) Biographical Theory of Criticism 3) Post-structural Theory of Criticism Through the literary works of Langston Hughes, it is clear to see that he uses his own style and language to portray realistic traits. The biographical theory of criticism can easily be used to criticize Hughes work, as well as the post-structural theory. ... Biographical Theory of Criticism "Mother to Son" Closely parallels the life of Hughes. ... Post-structural Theory of Criticism "Mother to Son" also contai...

  • Word Count: 532
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Literary Criticism - The Story of an Hour

Based on the literary criticisms researched, a lot Kate Chopin's works focused on female emancipation. ... Three Literary Criticisms Chopin is considered to be one of the first feminists. ... Literary New Orleans. ... Within the next decade, after beginning to write poetry and fiction, she had published twenty poems, ninety-five short stories, two novels and eight literary criticisms. ... The article is informative in biographical facts and well written. ...

  • Word Count: 1852
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. CLR James

He is best known as the author of The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution, however, James also made significant contributions in sport criticism, Caribbean history, literary criticism, Pan African politics and Marxist theory. Many academics and political activists have attempted to do so, it is impossible to pinpoint any period of James' life as his true legacy, which lends itself to debate.For over half a century James was politically and literarily involved in several counties, to include, Trinidad, Britain, the United States, and Ghana. ... An...

  • Word Count: 441
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. C. S. Lewis

His studies helped him in his literary works. ... Lewis's own influences were valuable, necessary, restraining influences upon excesses of new criticism (Magill 893). ... Clive is thought of as one of the most accomplished and influential literary scholars and imaginative writers in the twentieth century (Lewis cd-rom). Lewis is a traditionalist to life and literature who opposes modern movement in literary criticism toward biographical and psychological interpretation (Lewis cd-rom). ... The Chronicles of Narnia is made up of several literary writings. ...

  • Word Count: 911
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

6. The Color Purple

Contemporary Literary Criticism. ... h Current Biographical Yearbook. (1984) Current Biographical Yearbook 1984: Walker, Alice. ... The Biographical Dictionary of Black Americans. ... Contemporary Literary Criticism. ... Contemporary Literary Criticism. ...

  • Word Count: 1803
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Biographical Information In the summer of 1881, Stevenson returned to Scotland following travels in the United States and England. He rented a cottage in Braemar, where he began to write Treasure Island, the book which marked a major turning point in his literary career. Up until that point, Stevenson's literary output had been uneven-Treasure Island marked the author's mastery of tone, pace, and vocabulary. ... Much criticism of the novel has been concerned with the work's affinities with and departures from the familiar conventions of the prose romance, and specifically, adven...

  • Word Count: 810
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. greeks and their impact on us

These include lyric and epic poetry, philosophical essays and dialogues, tragic and comic drama, literary letters and critical and biographical history. ... Drama, especially tragedy, became the most important literary form during the Golden Age. ... After the philosopher Socrates" death in 399 BC, a new literary form was developed by his pupils. ... Aristotle also wrote important works, including Poetics, a masterpiece of literary criticism. ...

  • Word Count: 1327
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

9. John Brown and the Abolitionist Movement

He embodied the ideals of the movement through his aggressive actions, his ultimate sacrifice, and his post mortem praise by literary giants of the time period. ... While all people opposed to the system of human objectification faced adversity and critics, Brown had to deal with criticism within his own cause. ... Their responses to Brown's action's vary; Thoreau in an almost biographical nature, Melville in a description of the scene of Brown's execution, and Douglass in personal anecdotes of their encounters. ... Thoreau's "A Plea For Captain John Brown," paint...

  • Word Count: 1279
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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