Literary Criticism...

Literary criticism is the process of analyzing or critiquing literature. It's main purpose is to give feedback to the author. This feedback is in regards to the message the author conveys,how well ideas are drawn out,and how vivid the concepts are. This process not only helps the author, but the reader as well. The average reader can decipher the hidden or true massages the author weaves into her or her work. This can be a difficult task to do. Often the words and phrases the authors uses can be misleading if not simply confusing. A piece of writing can be interpreted in many different ways. "However, literary criticism has changed a great deal since the late1970s and early 1980s, primarily because of the influx and influence of European works of post structuralist theory published in translation since then."(wilder 77) Literary criticism allows readers to select a reading material that they can enjoy. Its a way to promote someones work without always giving a negative opinion. Paulo Coelho's book The witch of portebello was a great book,but it had some not so positive reviews. "When you pick up a Paulo Coelho book, you know what to expect: Someone's life will be lacking. Religious undertones will be prevalent. Destinies will be sought. Someone will probably die.The problem isn't so much in the writing, but the spirituality. A small dose here and there is uplifting. And when Coelho's on and the mysticism is tempered with great writing and characters, what you get are books that read quickly and make better conversation starters than your average check-out line paperback. But when he's off -- when his books, like this one, are overloaded with platitudes about love and inner truth -- it can be a bit suffocating. Imagine being trapped in a hot room with Buddhist yogis from San Diego for two days. Yeah, that may be helpful or uplifting to the most cosmically flexible among us. But for the rest, it's hard to be at one with the cosmos when the vibes are making us all a little nauseous."-(John Burgman,Esquire.com) Literary criticism is definitely useful and important for every reader.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wilder,Laura
2005. The Rhetoric of Literary Criticism: Sage Publishers