Subjective Criticism

David Bleich

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Year: 2019
• eBook ISBN: 9781421434964
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literary Criticism Theory
• Index: Literature

Originally published in 1981. The meaning and objectives of literature, argues David Bleich, are created by the reader, who depends on community consensus to validate his or her judgements. Bleich proposes that the study of English be consciously reoriented from a knowledge-finding to a knowledge-making enterprise. This involves a new explanation of language acquisition in childhood, a psychologically disciplined concept of linguistic and literary response, and a recognition of the intellectual authority of pedagogical communities to originate and establish knowledge. Amplifying his theoretical model with subjective responses drawn from his own classroom experience, Bleich suggests ways in which the study of language and literature can become more fully integrated with each person's responsibility for what he or she knows.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Copyright Page
• Title Page
• Contents
• Introduction. Language, Literacy, and Criticism
• One. The Subjective Paradigm
• Two. The Motivational Character of Language and Symbol Formation
• Three. The Logic of Interpretation
• Four. Epistemological Assumptions in the Study of Response
• Five. The Pedagogical Development of Knowledge
• Six. The Relative Negotiability of Response Statements
• Seven. Acts of Taste and Changes of Taste
• Eight. The Construction of Literary Meaning
• Nine. The Conception and Documentation of the Author
• Ten. Collective Interests and the Definition of Literary Regularities
• Conclusion. Knowledge, Responsibility, and Community
• Index