A HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION OF LITERATURE – EDMUND WILSON

Ø  Historical criticism and Social change

Ø  In the excerpts below, Edmund Wilson presents his thoughts on what it means to understand literature in its “historical” aspects, that is “its social, economic and political aspects.”

Ø  Edmund Wilson, “The Historical Interpretation of Literature,” 1940, later published in Triple Thinkers.

Ø  He notes that this tradition of criticism began during the Enlightenment and developed during the subsequent centuries.

Ø  He begins by describing other prominent traditions of criticism then focuses on the historical one, which is a key critical tradition, especially its more progressive and revolutionary elements overviewed and explored by this site.

Ø  At the end of the article and the excerpts here, he touches on how literature, along with “all intellectual activity” may help bring about a better world, in its “attempt to give a meaning to our experience – that is, to make life more practicable; for by understanding things we make it easy to survive and get around among them.”

Ø  This weblog is basically geared towards this end, and is otherwise related to “understanding things” in order to “make it easier to survive and get around among them” especially to change conditions of life for the better, especially for the many currently in great need.

Ø   It might be noted too that at this perilous point in human history, the survival of the human species is ever more seriously threatened, as some authors have remarked for decades now.

Ø  In capacities professional and otherwise, those in the field of literature, given its largely though not entirely social, economic, and political nature, have great opportunity to do much toward addressing these urgent issues.

Ø  Edmund Wilson occupies an important place in the history of American literature in the 20nth century.

Ø  In his lasting literary life of half a century, Wilson’s literary achievements, which deals with many fields such as literary criticism, social comment, novel, poetry, drama, history, speech and so on, are very productive.

Ø  The speech “The Historical Interpretation of Literature”, which delivered in Princeton University in 1940 by Wilson, intensively embodies his literary outlook.

Ø  Based on the basic concept of the speech, dealing with the specific texts, this thesis tries to make a thorough exposition of Wilson’s criticism of “The Historical Interpretation of Literature”.

Ø  Wilson’s criticism of “The Historical Interpretation of Literature”, which intended for the literary authors and most of literary amateurs in society, based on Marxism, Freudian psychoanalysis, the traditional criticism of society and history and the criterion of “emotional reaction”, uses kinds of critical methods, attaches great importance to the literature character in criticism and relations between literature and society, embodies Wilson’s humanism spirit of seeking truth through literature, paying attention to real society nature of humankind and standing fast to independence and freedom.

Ø  In the first chapter, however reveals that “The Historical Interpretation of Literature” is based on Marxism, Freudian psychoanalysis, the traditional criticism of society and history and the criterion of “emotional reaction”.

Ø  The second chapter discusses the history of man’s ideas and imaginings.

Ø  The third chapter points out the significance of “The Historical Interpretation of Literature” lies in Wilson’s humanism spirit.