Literary criticism: Criticism and knowledge

 

Literary criticism:   

 

Criticism is not a general and superficial expression of opinion, but criticism is an indication of the merits and demerits of the scrutiny of creation. Dr. Fahim Azmi says in this regard:

"Criticism is not limited to a single work of art, but extends to the whole system and theory. That criticism will not be called criticism in the true sense untill a critic is not neutral in his/her opinion". 

Criticism and knowledge 

Public opinion is that the purpose of criticism is not to acquire information but to increase knowledge. Because creativity is enough if you want to add information. Criticism is the search for truth, and criticism that does not tell the truth can never be good criticism.

The right statement, the right awareness and the right knowledge about something is provided by right criticism. Given this definition, we can say that criticism provides knowledge.

According to Dr. Saleem Akhtar, this literary criticism has been going on even before Aristotle and Plato, that is, four thousand years before Christ. Ideological criticism sets principles, and in the light of these principles, the study of a poet's or creator's work, determining its value, and classifying it is called practical criticism.

There are many types of literary ideas, so it is possible to understand the critic's point of view by looking at practical criticism, and it is also possible to acquire knowledge. Some critics examine literature and poetry in the light of the temperament, habits, and customs of specific nations. The results may be interesting, but they do not have to be accurate. Some critics consider genre literature and its limitations important. Like Aristotle, Aristotle divided literature into three parts.

1. Lyrik

2. Apex

3. Drama

These critics try to find out which genre of literature a particular book or poem can be placed in. In such cases, the real focus shifts away from the effect of literature and its social condition. Considering the artistic aspects, the social  structure is important to keep in mind, but giving it too much importance will detract from criticism. And it will not be possible to acquire knowledge in the right way.

Some methods of criticism gained extraordinary importance and most critics adopted one of them and used it in practical criticism. One group is the psychological study of literature. There are many forms of this type of study. In it we study the works of a writer or poet in the light of his biography, that is, they consider literature as mere expression of personality.

Although this method limits the point of view, it is possible to acquire knowledge. Critics of psycho-analysis go even further. And they say that the creation of art is the result of unconsciousness, not of consciousness. The pen of a writer and a poet runs by some inner vital force. The unconsciousness of literature becomes prominent in his writings. It remains a mystery to critics, but it can still lead to the right conclusion and the right knowledge.

There are as many literary theories as there are theories of psychology. Some critics call a writer a sexually transmitted disease, some a mental illness, and some call a writer a sense of inferiority or superiority. In this way, he increases the reader's knowledge through self-examination. One group of critics considers historical aspects. Some German critics have gone so far as to call the spirit of the age everything. But there is an even more scientific view that sees literature or life as dynamic or changing with economic, social or class relations. It is a holistic approach and does not ignore any important aspect of literary study. Critics who adopt this aspect do not have the same point of view. Some just experiment. Some try to mechanically harmonize literature and economic evolution. Some consider literature to be crippled by its social responsibilities in view of its historical coercion. These delicate differences in perspective are important because they determine the true place of literature in society and in life. Its most prominent form is found in communist realism and Marxist critique.

This material theory of the construction of literature is generally objected to because those who practice it seek philosophy, history, economics and other elements in literature instead of literature. However, from a neutral point of view, this literature is not a collection of a few technical features, but more than that. Then practical criticism, this method has proved to be the most useful because it does not miss the external and internal aspects.

Example of knowledge gained through criticism:

Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali has claimed in Yadgar Ghalib that Ghalib was an extremely selfish person. But Imtiaz Ali Arshi's criticism of this tells us that Ghalib had written letters in Rampur asking for concessions. Another similar example is that we know from the writings of Prem Chand how much he cared for the workers and was kind to them. But Abu Muhammad Shibli writes that in the letters he wrote to Begum, it was clearly written that those workers who did not work properly were treated harshly. Both examples are examples of practical criticism.

Gained  Discussion: 

 After discussing the various aspects of criticism, it can be rightly said that the general reader knows only through criticism what is present in a work of art. Criticism takes us back to 5000 BC to trace the evolution of literature. Criticism gives us knowledge of Aristotle's lyric, epic and drama when it comes to exploring the genres of literature and its limitations. Criticism gives us knowledge of oedipus complex, inferiority and superiority  complex when it comes to explore psychology.So we are right in saying that criticism gives us knowledge instead of information.