“Whimsies and Crochets”: Pragmatism, Poetry, and Literary Criticism’s Founding Gesture
Using as its key texts George Oppen’s 21 Poems and I.A. Richards' introduction to The Principles of Literary Criticism, this essay argues, first, that in the early decades of the twentieth century pragmatist epistemology and ethos of participation had a transformative effect on U.S. poetry, and...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
European Association for American Studies
|
| Series: | European Journal of American Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/15631 |
| _version_ | 1797310393392037888 |
|---|---|
| author | Kristen Case |
| author_facet | Kristen Case |
| author_sort | Kristen Case |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Using as its key texts George Oppen’s 21 Poems and I.A. Richards' introduction to The Principles of Literary Criticism, this essay argues, first, that in the early decades of the twentieth century pragmatist epistemology and ethos of participation had a transformative effect on U.S. poetry, and second, that in these same decades, the then-emergent profession of literary criticism refused to absorb the participatory ethos, even as other disciplines, perhaps most notably education and anthropology, were being transformed by it. It concludes with some thoughts about what the adoption of a participatory approach might look like in literary critical studies, with special attention to the transactional model of reading theorized by Louise Rosenblatt beginning in the late 1930s. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T01:43:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-754a8a7d26904c4abff48d1c685ece73 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1991-9336 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T01:43:16Z |
| publisher | European Association for American Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of American Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-754a8a7d26904c4abff48d1c685ece732024-02-14T13:19:54ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-933615110.4000/ejas.15631“Whimsies and Crochets”: Pragmatism, Poetry, and Literary Criticism’s Founding Gesture Kristen CaseUsing as its key texts George Oppen’s 21 Poems and I.A. Richards' introduction to The Principles of Literary Criticism, this essay argues, first, that in the early decades of the twentieth century pragmatist epistemology and ethos of participation had a transformative effect on U.S. poetry, and second, that in these same decades, the then-emergent profession of literary criticism refused to absorb the participatory ethos, even as other disciplines, perhaps most notably education and anthropology, were being transformed by it. It concludes with some thoughts about what the adoption of a participatory approach might look like in literary critical studies, with special attention to the transactional model of reading theorized by Louise Rosenblatt beginning in the late 1930s.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/15631poetry; literary criticism; literary education; participation; William James; George Oppen; I.A. Richards |
| spellingShingle | Kristen Case “Whimsies and Crochets”: Pragmatism, Poetry, and Literary Criticism’s Founding Gesture European Journal of American Studies poetry; literary criticism; literary education; participation; William James; George Oppen; I.A. Richards |
| title | “Whimsies and Crochets”: Pragmatism, Poetry, and Literary Criticism’s Founding Gesture |
| title_full | “Whimsies and Crochets”: Pragmatism, Poetry, and Literary Criticism’s Founding Gesture |
| title_fullStr | “Whimsies and Crochets”: Pragmatism, Poetry, and Literary Criticism’s Founding Gesture |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Whimsies and Crochets”: Pragmatism, Poetry, and Literary Criticism’s Founding Gesture |
| title_short | “Whimsies and Crochets”: Pragmatism, Poetry, and Literary Criticism’s Founding Gesture |
| title_sort | whimsies and crochets pragmatism poetry and literary criticism s founding gesture |
| topic | poetry; literary criticism; literary education; participation; William James; George Oppen; I.A. Richards |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/15631 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kristencase whimsiesandcrochetspragmatismpoetryandliterarycriticismsfoundinggesture |