Yes...!!! Literary Criticism (Literary Theory) evaluates and interprets a literary work.

Since its inception Literary Criticism ventures to device tools for effective assessment of pioneering literary works. It depends on the specialized critical ability of the researcher to investigating effectively.

Aboveboard acquiring ability to approach the literary work with an objective and unbiased mindset will keep posing this question again and again whereas certain theories as Feminist Literary Theory, Marxist, African-American Theories etc. demand specific critical skills cultivated amongst the researchers.

(The Qualified Critic: The best judge to choose the right theory to be applied to the right Text.)

The primary purpose of literary theory is usually taken to be the interpretation of literary (and other) texts, i.e. the determination of their meaning. This is often contrasted with literary aesthetics, whose primary purpose is the appreciation of literary (and other) texts, i.e. the realisation of their value. Some literary theorists, like Jonathan Culler and Fredric Jameson, think that the primary purpose of literary theory is twofold: the determination of textual meaning and the determination of the structure of meaning itself. Your selection of a literary theory to interpret a particular text will inevitably be subject to criticism because their is no single 'right' answer, just answers that are more or less well-argued.

Literary criticism, the reasoned consideration of literary works and issues. It applies, as a term, to any argumentation about literature, whether or not specific works are analyzed

Of course literary criticism and in extension literary theory is one the most used tools of interpretation.

Regarding when and if people start criticizing your work instead of using a critical framework you can ignore those subjective comments and look ahead and concentrate on how your write up is more objective and fact based.

Pritesh Chakraborty Thankyou Sir.

Muneeba Zakaria Mughal most welcome and I hardly qualify as a 'sir'. Call me Pritesh

Hi Muneeba. I would say that you mustn't be cowed by others' criticism. I've always been rather distrustful of the idea of 'applying' literary theory. By all means explore the crticial/theoretical avenues which interest you, but don't let yourself get bogged down by it all! You just need to work out what's best for you during the process of your research - your intuition will tell you what's appropriate when you see it. Good luck! Martin

Literary theory is nothing more than a tool, and there are many of these that you can use. These theories (tools) can be applied to a piece of literature and can be used to strengthen your own personal viewpoint or lens by which you have studied and given meaning to the text in question. Some theories are more appropriate for certain types of literature than others, and often, several theories can be used in tandem in order to give meaning to a text. Just my thoughts...

Thank you very much for such a motivational answer which I'd hunted for. Dear Martin Aske

Thank you for sharing your personal thought that means a lot, Dear Albert Martino

Yes of course. literary criticism evaluates a literary work. the fact of criticizing positively or negatively could well and truly judge the literary production and even this exercise makes it possible to insert it even in any interpretation

I think it is important first to formulate one's own perceptions in hopes of elucidating the meaning of a work, hoping to find a new insight that yields an original nuance or subtle value in an aspect of the work. When the writer has an epiphany about the work, then, secondarily, literary theories may be relevant to marshal support for the perception's validity, but the theory should always serve the elucidation rather than the reverse. In short in the essays I wrote I hope I have avoided any categorization or pigeon-holing within any theory or school of thought. I hope not to be seen as an -ist. Deconstruction is a good example of a theory that outstripped the works it interpreted and often reduced their architecture to rubble in service of proving a (to me) nihilistic point..

Of course

There are many potential purposes, but the main purpose of literary theory and criticism is to better understand literature. Different schools have different ways of doing that, and value different aspects of literary production. Some, for example, do their best to disregard (or at least bracket) the role the author or historical epoch plays in the creation of a work (e.g. Formalism, the New Criticism).

I believe it can be fruitful to come at a work of literature from several theories in succession; review with notes as in the historical or epochal context, for example, and then start over from the much more subjective "within the 4 walls" approach which may lead to startling insights and leave more room for original theorizing apart from any established critical approach. One can reconstruct (particle ) AND deconstruct (wave) and something new may pop out. Then combine the varying approaches in analysis and actual writing.

O texto literário é uma estrutura sintática, semântica e pragmática que solicita, de forma específica, um modo de ler. As teorias são ferramentas para a interpretação e não o objetivo do texto literário. Cada autor escreve sem pensar nas teorias literárias... É preciso ter isso em consideração numa análise!

@ Maria Luisa De Castro Soares: From the Portuguese:

The literary text is a syntactic, semantic and pragmatic structure

that specifically requires a way of reading.

Theories are tools for interpretation and not the aim of the

literary text. Each author writes without thinking about

literary theories...

This must be taken into account in an analysis!

Who said so?Literary criticism certainly shared (and still is)in the evaluation of literary writings.

Literary criticism consists of close reading of a text. It involves analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of works of literature

A researcher can evaluate a literary work with reader-response -theory, too.

interested

reading, and writing works of literary criticism will help you to make better sense of the work, form judgments about literature, study ideas from different points of view, and determine on an individual level whether a literary work is worth reading.

يُعد النقد الأدبي عملية تحليل وتفسير وتقييم الأعمال الأدبية، وتتم عملية النقد من خلال أربع مراحل، وهي الملاحظة والتحليل والتفسير والتقييم.

@ سوزان مشير حمد Suzan Mushir Hamad translation:

Literary criticism is the process of analyzing,

interpreting and evaluating literary works.

The criticism process takes place through four stages,

namely observation, analysis, interpretation and evaluation.