Research On James Wood’s "Threefold Criticism" And Related Critical Practice

James Wood is a famous contemporary British literary critic,novelist and essayist.He is also a professor of literary criticism practice at Harvard University.He is regarded as one of the most outstanding contemporary literary critics.Wood is good at excavating and transforming the theoretical resources with contemporary significance in the critical tradition,hoping to solve the problems existing in the contemporary western criticism circle.On the basis of Albert Thibaudet,he proposed a "Threefold Criticism" which integrates journalists,writers and scholars,hoping to combine the critic’s personal perception with rich literary theoretical knowledge to create a kind of Criticism which combines academic study and literary insight.Wood has been advocating "viewing creation from the eyes of critics",which forms a contrast with formalist criticism and returns to the path of "impressionistic" criticism that seeks to reveal literature.He insisted on the aesthetic dimension of literary criticism,arguing that aesthetic factors in literary works should be divorced from moral considerations.Wood’s focus on the aesthetic dimension of literature actually elevates aesthetics as the last line of defense against a commercialized and dehumanized world.According to the existing research results,most scholars at home and abroad pay attention to his "hysterical realism",or observe his literary thoughts from the perspective of "post-theory",but ignore the "Threefold Criticism" proposed by Wood.Therefore,the author will take Wood’s conception of "Threefold Criticism" as the key word in the study of James Wood’s literary criticism,explore Wood’s critical thought,and clarify the unique value of "Threefold Criticism".Based on James wood’s "Threefold Criticism" as the research object,in addition to the introduction and the epilogue two points,is divided into four chapters in this paper.The first chapter traces the theoretical basis of Wood’s "Threefold Criticism".The liberal humanism has a profound influence on Wood,which is reflected in wood’s attitude towards literature and literary research,his emphasis on the details of "life" in the text,and even his views on human nature.Deeply influenced by the realistic tradition of English literature and criticism,Wood also embodies the aesthetic tendency of realism in his critical practice,advocating a kind of "emotional realism".Post-structuralist criticism provides him with the guidance on the methodology of reading literary works.The formalist criticism is the source of wood’s "Threefold Criticism",which emphasizes the form of literary text and details.The second chapter,with Wood’s conception of "Threefold Criticism" as the key word,reveals the essence of "Threefold Criticism",which is a new critical path integrating writer’s criticism,journalist’s criticism and scholar’s criticism.Firstly,this paper discusses wood’s unique definitions of writer’s criticism,journalist’s criticism and scholar’s criticism,and on this basis obtains the specific connotation of "Threefold Criticism" as a kind of integrated criticism.Then it makes a more comprehensive and in-depth analysis of "Threefold Criticism" from three aspects: the characteristics of "Threefold Criticism",the method of critical practice and Wood’s realistic aesthetic tendency.The third chapter on the "Threefold Criticism" made on the basis of the theoretical interpretation of will be focused on the concrete practice of the "Threefold Criticism".This chapter selects wood’s criticism of specific writers and works for detailed interpretation,including Wood’s comments on Thomas Hardy and George Orwell,Tolstoy’s War and Peace and Cormac Mc Carthy’s Road,and discusses how Wood put into practice his "Threefold Criticism" concept.The fourth chapter is the wood "Threefold Criticism" meaning."On the one hand,this paper discusses the wood advocate and practicing Threefold Criticism" has the meaning and value,believe that wood’s theory of "Threefold Criticism" help build diversified pattern,at the same time,emphasize the person’s subjectivity,reflects its humanistic color of criticism thought,aesthetic dimension to criticism and wood stick also reflects his attention to the text and the maintenance of literary value.On the other hand,it also extends the discussion on the possible influence of the theory of "Threefold Criticism",and probes into the enlightenment of Wood’s literary criticism to the construction of Chinese contemporary literary theory and critical writing.