Literary Criticism from Plato to Postmodernism

Download or read book Literary Criticism from Plato to Postmodernism written by James Seaton and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-04-28 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a history of literary criticism from Plato to the present, arguing that this history can best be seen as a dialogue among three traditions - the Platonic, Neoplatonic, and the humanistic, originated by Aristotle. There are many histories of literary criticism, but this is the first to clarify our understanding of the many seemingly incommensurable approaches employed over the centuries by reference to the three traditions. Making its case by careful analyses of individual critics, the book argues for the relevance of the humanistic tradition in the twenty-first century and beyond.