New Criticism and the New Historicism

History can be explained in a variety of ways to suit a particular context.

Many academics have attempted to improvise theories that properly describe various historical periods and how they contributed to shaping the modern world. It is true that some academics believe that studying the past is an important part of learning, while others believe that such periods are outmoded and unusable in the modern world. Columbus and the Cannibals by Hulme offers a thorough analysis of both the new historicism and the new critique. Therefore, the formalist method and new historicism are the goals of this essay.

New criticism

New criticism is a critical theory which gained prominence in the 1940s. The form of argument described the reaction of scholars towards a historical criticism and was mainly concentrated on extra-text materials, and this mostly constituted the biography of the author. New criticism, sometimes perceived as ’close reading,’ makes a careful assessment of the structure, the figure of speech and the syntax which are present in the reading (Brooker et al., 52). It is also worth noting that the new critics have provided a democratic space where individuals can choose how they want to interpret a historical text. Additionally, modern criticism has set in place regulations which govern the reading and interpretation of any ancient document. In the case of the journal by Hulme, he tries to explain the origin of the term cannibal and how this can be related to the life of Christopher Columbus (Hulme 362). By this, the author tries to bring about different case scenarios which can adequately be used as evidence for the origin of the word. For instance, the article describes that the term article was probably sourced out from the Indian inhabitants who interacted with Columbus in his voyage. In this case, one can note that the text tries to build theories based on the life and interaction and the way of life of the person in history. Furthermore, the document also brings about the probable evidence which supports the lingua. Therefore, new criticism is an integral part of the current reading culture as it provides the reader with a liberal mind on how to perceive the things highlighted in the text.

New Historicists

On the contrary, New Historicists tend to have a different perceptive on the aspect of analyzing the traditional texts. In this respect, the new historicist have two primary objectives which they aim to achieve which include studying how the books outwardly reflect on the sociocultural and the historical context (Veeser 31). The other goal is to explore how the work comments on the context which it is set. In the article by Hulme, Columbus had various encounters with the Hispanics and the Indians inhabitants in the regions where he visits (Hulmer 367). In this respect, the new historicists will tend to narrow down on the specific attributed which he acquired in the regions and how they are essential factors to consider when analyzing the text. Furthermore, this group of people believes that the societal and cultural setting of any given society is primary in describing the overall configuration of community.

Conclusively, both the new historicist and the new criticisms are essential building blocks of the society.

They help in bringing a unique perspective of the social orientation and how it is crucial for the individuals in the current generation. It is worth noting that their conjoined attitudes tend to bring out a different side of history which is entertaining and very informative to the reader and can benefit the future generations wholesomely.

Works Cited

Brooker, Peter, Raman Selden, and Peter Widdowson. A reader’s guide to contemporary literary theory. Taylor & Francis, 2017.

Hulme, Peter. “Columbus and the Cannibals: A Study of the Reports of Anthropophagy in the Journal of Christopher Columbus.” Ibero-Amerikanisches Archive 4.2 (1978): 365-369.

Veeser, Harold. The new historicism. Routledge, 2013.