analysisoftheirdifferentapproachestoliterarycriticismandwhatthismeansmorebroadlyin

termsoftheirspacesdifferentliterarymovements
ModernFictionVirginiaWoolf(Modernism)

wedonotcometowritebetter.Allthatwecan
besaidtodoiskeepmoving
t is for the historian of literature to decide; for
him to say if we are now beginning or ending or
standing in the middle of a great period of prose
fiction, for down in the plain little is visible.
she doesnt find that the writers - those
who are in the midst of a literary
movement are able at all to see where they
are in comparison to other literary
movements or really to even assess the
quality of ones work
It need scarcely be said that we make no claim to
stand, even momentarily, upon that vantage
ground.
materialists
in her initial discussion of these authors
she says that no single word can sum us
the charges against such a large body of
work but then proceeds to do so anyway what is this called ( not particularly
relevant but it would be useful to know) they are concerned with the body and not
the spirit
It is a confession of vagueness to have to make
use of such a figure as this, but we scarcely better
the matter by speaking, as critics are prone to do,
of reality
general commentary on criticism itself
Admitting the vagueness which afflicts all
criticism of novels, let us hazard the opinion that
for us at this moment the form of fiction most in
vogue more often misses than secures the thing
we seek.

basingworkuponfeelingandnotconventionsp

TheFunctionofCriticismatthePresentTimeMatthew
Arnold(Victorian)
arnoldexplicatesdirectlywhathebelievesthe
functionofcriticismshouldbeincurrentsociety
arnoldcallingforaliteraryelitedecidingwhatis
trueandwhatisconstructed
searchfortruthinliteraturethecriticistheone
whoidentifieswhatistruthfulandnobeland
functionsasaculturalcuratorinthiswaythis
differsfromvirginiawoolfbecausesheiscalling
criticasthecuratorofideasthenblimitingthe
scopeofwhatisconsideredintelligentandwhat
isconsideredworthythatcreatesconvention
curationbirthsconvention
woolfspeaksofatyrantthatseemstotrapwriters
fromwritingwhattheywantandwhattheyfeel
arnoldscriticismisstillsteepedinavictorian
classismandabeliefintheconceptofhighart
butwoolfasksformoreofafreean
toseetheobjectasinitselfitreallyis
acknowledgesthecreativeeffortisbetterthanthe
criticalone
elementsinwhichthecreativepowerworksare
ideas
thebestideas
creativeliterarygeniusdoesnot
showitselfinproducingnewideas
thatsthebusinessofphilosophers
theliterarycreativepowerisabout
synthesisandexposition
andnot
aboutdiscoveryandanalysis
everythingissupposedto
belookingtoseetheobject
asitreallyisbutliterature
isinthesynthesisand
expositionofthistruthand
sohowisittobeachieved?
happilyinspiredbyacertain
intellectualandspiritual
atmospherebyacertainorderof

ideas,whenitfindsitselfinthem
ofdealingdivinelywiththeseideas,
presentingtheminthemost
effectiveandattractive
combinations,makingbeautiful
workswiththem,inshort.
finditselfamongsttheorderof
ideasinordertofindfreedomthat
ishowliterarycreativityshould
functionitshouldfinditselfwithin
anorderfunctionasareflection
andexpositionofanalready
formedidea