Tag Archives: literary criticism

Was George Orwell a Clear-Headed Critic of Literature, or Was He Hopelessly Confused About It?

Perhaps something in between. At the New Statesman website, New Yorker staff writer, Keith Gessen, discusses the tensions and contradictions in George Orwell’s writings on literature and the arts. One of the examples that he offers is Orwell’s evaluation of … Continue reading

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The Female Breast—Defamiliarized

  Early in the 20th century, the Russian formalist, Victor Schklovskii, coined the term “defamiliarization” for designating one of the things that literature does (that is, it makes what is familiar unfamiliar ).  David Mikics, in his excellent reference, A New Handbook of Literary Terms … Continue reading

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Euripides’s “Bakkhai”: Is Dionysus Jesus?

Euripides’s “Bakkhai” is an extraordinary play, and functions on many fascinating levels. At one level it can be read as an indictment of rationalism, and a warning to the audience against atheism. Toward the beginning of the play, for example, … Continue reading

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