Doing Criticism

An accessible hands-on guide to writing criticism across the literary arts, the dramatic arts, and the narrative screen artsHow to Do Criticism is a practical guide to engaging actively and productively with a critical object, whether a film, a novel, or a play. Going beyond the study of lyric poetry and literature to include motion picture and dramatic arts, this unique text provides specific advice on how to best write criticism while offering concrete illustrations of what it looks like on the pageDivided into two parts, the book first presents an up-to-date account of the state of criticism in both Anglo-American and Continental contexts--describing the functions and necessity of criticism and discussing critical issues across the literary and screen arts. The second part of the book features a variety of case studies of criticism across media, including Coppola's The Conversation, Hitchcock's Vertigo, screen adaptions of Shelley's Frankenstein, Austen's Mansfield Park, and others. Helping students of literature and cinema write well about what they find in their reading and viewing, How to Do Criticism:* Discusses how the bridging of the literary arts and screen arts can help criticism flourish in the present day* Illustrates how the doing of criticism is in practice a particular kind of writing* Considers how to generalize the consequences of criticism beyond personal growth and gratification* Addresses the ways the practice of criticism matters to the practice of the critical object* Suggests that doing without criticism is not only unwise, but also perhaps impossible* Features case studies organized around contexts of conversation, adaptation, and genreHow to Do Criticism is an ideal text for students in introductory courses in criticism, literary studies, and film studies, as well as general readers with interest in the subject.