A Study On Richards' Theory Of Literary Criticism

I. A. Richards, as the famous literature theoretician, critic and poet, made a great achievement in several fields, such as critical theory, linguistics and aesthetics. Especially in the history of modern literature criticism, he was the one who has made outstanding contribution to both theoretic construction and critic practice. In the 1920s and 1930s, he wrote 8 books about critical theory, which lay a strong basis for his status in the history of western literature criticism and theory in the 20th century. He always try his best to build a "scientific" literary criticism theory, so he introduced two subjects: psychology and semantics. His context theory and method of reading in detail have a great influence on the later generations. They provided a basic methodology for new criticism, whose core conceptions-"ambiguity", "irony", "paradox", "tension" etc-were influenced a lot by Richards' "tensional poetics". The critical system of literary value that he insisted to build was inherited by New criticism.Therefore, we can say that Richards'status in the history of western modern literature criticism is acknowledged by all of us. Besides, he is also a great humanist and exchange emissary that communicate eastern and western cultures. China is the "Republic " in his heart. He had many connections with China during his life. Based on the understanding of Chinese culture, he wanted to discuss the reason of the difference of thinking mode between China and west, then to find the method and the way to improve the communication of different cultures.However, if we review the research overview of his criticism theory in China, we will find that they are not enough. Many of his books have not been translated into Chinese and the research just limited in some aspects of his critical theory. There is still no comprehensive and systematic research on his literary critical theory, which was not match his status in the history of western literature criticism theory in 1900s. By the investigation of research overview on Richards'literature criticism and theory, we will find it easily that some of his core conceptions, such as literary value, literary convey, method of psychology criticism, context theory, method of reading in detail were known very well by educational circles. But, because of the lack of the comprehensive and systematic research on his criticism theory, in many respects, such as literary origin, the relationship with British romantic literary theory, the relationship with Chinese traditional culture, especially the influence that The golden mean on his theoretical building, we have not got a deep study, even ignored them. In addition, although Richards seems to be a theoretician out of date for most of his books written in 1920s or 1930s, we can find that his theory is still very helpful today when we consider the current develpment of Chinese literary theory. Based on the reasons above, this paper include four aspects:first, combined with the background that Richards' literary theory generated and focused on his eight critic literary books that written in 1920s and 1930s, the paper will give an overall statement and objective judgement on his literary theory. Second, pay attention to the relationship between Richards and British romanticism, especially the inheritance relationship between him and Coleridge's "imagine" theory, because if we think more of the issue of poems' social value, we will find that Richards was affected a lot by English romantic poem debate tradition. Third, based on the affinity between him and Chinese culture, analyze the Chinese cultural factors-especially the profound affection that Chinese mean thought-that included in his critic theory. Last, point out the affections that Richards' literary theory on Chinese and west literary studies, especially the significance to our new construction of literary theory. Therefore, this paper include six chapters:The first chapter introduces the special era background and literary origin of his literary theory. Focused on the impressionism that emphasize on subjective sensation, British literary and art criticism has a heavy tendency of subjective and liberalism. The aestheticism who insisted "art for art's sake" asserted that art is a autonomous field that has nothing to do with reality. Aimed at the criticism crisis in that age, Richards insisted to rebuild the value standard system of literary criticism. He connected poem with reality, based on which surveyed poem's value and function. In the respect of philosophy, affected by British empiricism and positivism, Richards emphasized more on the analysis of psychology experience, and he introduced two subjects-semantics and psychology-to literary criticsm, hoping to build a "scientific criticism"subject. In addition, he criticized romantic criticism, but in the meanwhile, he also inherited many ideas and traditions from them.The second chapter focuses on Richards'semantics theory. As an excellent linguist in 1900s, Richards'initiated modern semantics. His critic theory was based on his strong semantics. Therfore, before knowing his critic theory, we should investigate his semantics theory. Richards' meaning theory mainly included in his two books- The Meaning of Meaning and The Philosophy of Rhetoric. The thing that affected his critic theory are "symbol-situation" theory, context theory, metaphor theory and the classification of the two lauguages.Chapter three exerts an overall statement on the "scientific construction" of Richards' literary critic theory. The construction of "scientific critic" is a final goal of Richards' literary critic theory. So, he introduced two subjects:psychology and semantics. We can find his scientific construction in three aspects:literary value theory, literary communication theory and ontology criticism. As to literary value, applying the knowledge of modern psychological science, Richards thought that literature's value lies in the balance and coordination it provides to the readers. The activity of literature communication is the necessary way to realize literature's value. His literature communication theory is to deliver the writers'good experience to the readers. Text has a critical medium function in the process of literature's communication. Therefore, Richards emphasized a lot on the importance of text analysis, and then he put forward the method of "closed " reading and "reading in detail".Chapter four discusses the idea that poem against science in Richards' literary theory. Obviously, this idea was inherited from British romantic poem debate tradition, which always put poem against science and highlight poem's special social value and status. They think that the conception of real in poem is different from that in science. The real in poem is affectional reception and infection. The final outcome of scientism will just lead to extremely deficient in human's emtion, and then result in the chaos of human's society. In the world outlook of scientism, poem will replace religious and become an ideal tool to rescue disordered social reality. The reason that why poem can do this is that poem's "imagination" in itself. Richards inherited and developed Coleridge's poetic theory. He hold the view that imagination can unit the powers that against each other, then it can adjust human's heart states.Chapter five talks about the relationship between Richards'critic theory and Chinese culture. Richards'aesthetic ideas-"synaesthesis"-directly from Chinese meant thought. Quite interested in the ambiguity meanings of Chinese words, Richards carried out many experiments on Mencius. He saw Chinese as poetic language, and western logic analysis language as scientific language. He hold the view that Chinese logical mode can be a balance tool that rescue social crisis. The mean thought has the biggest influence on him. Make a comprehensive overview on his academic thoughts, the notion of balance and harmony became the core conception in all of his books. They also influenced his thinking mode of multiple and unity of opposites.Chapter six pays attention to the great significance that Richards'literary theory to Chinese and west literary theory. As one of the founders of New Criticism, Richards' theory of semantics and the method of reading in details has a great influence on New Criticism. The concept of "poetry of inclusion" directly enlightened New Criticism's the poetic structure theory of unity and opposites. His emphasize on literary communication and reader's psychology affected some literary theory school, such as the accept aesthetics, reader-react criticism. His theory was heard by Chinese very early, so he also has a big influence on Chinese modern literary criticism. Many modern Chinese scholars were affected by him, such as Gongcao Ye, Feng Chang, Ziqing Zhu, Zhongshu Qian, Guangtian Li, Kejia Yuan. Besides, his critic theory also enlightened the construction of our literary ciriticism, it can help us to think more about the problem of value-rebuild and to survey the focal issues of literary research.The last part analyzes the limitation of his literary criticism. Richards exaggerated the function of psychology in literary research. He even saw literary criticism as a branch of psychologic. He denied the existence of special aesthetic experience and also aesthetic value. He hold the view that there is no difference between aesthetic experience and ordinary experience, which is obviously sideness. He also exaggerated the salvation function of poem. His idea that saw literature and art as "religious" that can save soul also is a utopias.