The Principles Of Criticism

THE PRINCIPLES OF CRITICISM THE PRINCIPLES OF CRITICISM AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF LITERATURE BV W. BASIL WORSFOLD, M. A. OF UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, OXFORD AND OF THE MIDDLE TEMPLE. BARRISTER-AT-LAW NEW EDITION LONDON GEORGE ALLEN UNVVIN LTD. RUSKIN HOUSE, 40 MUSEUM STREET, W. C. i. FIRST PUBLISHED 1897 NEW EDITION 1902 REPRINTED 1923 Riprintcd in Saxony by tk Obrtd Preens from a copy Printed in Great Britain by BALLAMTYNE, .. HANSON Co, EDINBURGH At the Ballantyne Press AH Rights Reserved TO THE READER THE f uri ose of this book is to present an account of the CORRIGENDA, P. 3 2 1-17 for merelyr repoduce read merely reproduce 106 3 Greek 1 06 4 xai d Io6 5 M n 106 8 n IQ 6 I0 n III 2 122 w 8 ff beaute reglee w beaut 1 68, note B 218 1. 5 Greek n 2l8 ft 6 N a 218 w 7 ove 0. sources of reference. Both an index of authors and an index of subjects have been provided. W. B. W. RIDGE, NEAR CAPEL, SURREY, November i, 1902. TO THE READER THE purpose of this book is to present an account of the main principles of literary criticism, and to illustrate these principles by passages from great writers. The book will therefore, be found to contain in addition to the text a collection of noteworthy critical utterances. The translations from the Greek, German, and French have been done by the Author. References are made with two exceptions to the text of Aristotle by the pages of Immanuel Rekkers large Berlin edition and to that of Plato, by the pages of the edition of Henry Stephens. Addison is cited by numbers of the Spectator, and Lessing by chapters of the Laocoon. In the case of other authors, the footnotes will sufficiently indicate the sources of reference. Both an index of authors and anindex of subjects have been provided. W. B. W. RIDGE, NEAR CAPEL, SURREY, November i, 1902. TABLE OF CONTENTS HAP. PAGE INTRODUCTORY i i. ASPECTS OF LITERATURE. n. THE RELATION OF ESTHETICS TO CRITICISM. L PLATO CONSIDERS LITERATURE AS A VEHICLE OF KNOWLEDGE 22 II. ARISTOTLE CONSIDERS POETRY AS A BRANCH OF ART - 38 III. REVIVAL OF FORMAL CRITICISM APPLI CATION OF ARISTOTLES PRINCIPLES BY ADDISON TO PARADISE LOST . . 48 IV. POETIC JUSTICE AND OTHER OPINIONS OF ADDISON OF COMEDY .... 65 V. ADDISONS TREATMENT OF THE IMAGINATION AS A SEPARATE FACULTY OF THE MIND INTRODUCES A NEW PRINCIPLE INTO CRITICISM 82 VI. DEVELOPMENT OF ARTISTIC OR ARISTO TELIAN CRITICISM BY LESSING . . 94 vil r -- V1I1 TABLE OF CONTENTS VII. DEVELOPMENT OF PHILOSOPHIC OR PLATONIC CRITICISM BY COUSIN . . . .116 VIII. MATTHEW ARNOLD INSISTS UPON THE IN TERPRETATIVE POWER OF LITERATURE THE HIGH SERIOUSNESS OF ABSOLUTE SINCERITY is THE TEST OF SUPREME MERIT IN POETRY 136 - IX. THE INTERPRETATIVE POWER OF POETRY IT INTERPRETS HUMAN ACTION, NATURE, STATES OF MIND, INDIVIDUAL AND COL LECTIVE ...... 162 X. THE DRAMA AS A COMPOSITE ART . .184 XI. THE NOVEL AS A FORM OF LITERATURE . 204 XII. AUTHORITY IN LITERATURE AND ART . . 223 I. INDEX OF AUTHORS QUOTED . . 237 II. INDEX OF SUBJECTS . . . . 243 THE PRINCIPLES OF CRITICISM INTRODUCTORY I. ASPECTS OF LITERATURE 1 SUPPOSE that it will not be denied that comparison lies at the root of all our judgments in art and literature, and that our judgments are valid in proportion as the range of experience on which they are based is of greater or less extent. It is the principle in which Burke finds a foundation for the belief in the existence of a general standard of taste. A man whohas never seen a piece of sculpture admires the representations of the human head afforded by a barbers shop but his admiration for the waxen effigies of the barber is killed by a visit to a studio. The ordinary processes which minister to mental growth and to the training of eye and ear education, experience, travel, and opportunities of social converse together pro vide material which, unconsciously applied, is sufficient to enable us to form approximately correct judgments on every-day questions...