Understanding I.A. Richards’: Principles of Literary Criticism

No treatment of modern criticism is possible without discussing I.A. Richards, since in the most literal sense his influence combined with that of T.S. Eliot and F.R. Leavis served to create it. As one of seminal thinkers paving the way for the development of ‘New Criticism,’ Richards made a systematic attempt to formulate a theory of poetry in consonance with the demands of modern scientific thought. The present book stems from the need to offer an objective appraisal of Richards’ thought—system in the context of the evolution of his ideas in Foundations of Aesthetics, the Meaning of Meaning, Principles of Literary Criticism, Science and Poetry (later reissued as Poetries and sciences) and Practical Criticism. In the context of wide-spread misinterpretations and distortions of Richards’ point of view, the author has tried throughout this inter-disciplinary work to allow Richards to speak for himself. While unfolding the subtle, suggestive and consistent nature of Richards’ early writings, the book studies his criticism of modern poets like T.S. Eliot, W.B. Yeats, G.M. Hopkins, Thomas Hardy and D.H. Lawrence. The chapter on Practical Criticism throws light on Richards’ technique of evaluating poems and teaches the art of appreciating poetry.