The book outlines Plato’s famous banishment of poets from his ideal Republic. It explains his theory of Mimesis (imitation), where art is viewed as a mere shadow of a shadow, twice removed from ultimate truth.
: The book explains Plato’s view of art as "mimesis" (imitation). Plato famously banned poets from his ideal Republic, arguing that art is twice removed from reality and feeds the lower, emotional base of human nature. An Introduction To Literary Criticism By B Prasad
B. Prasad emphasizes that literary criticism is crucial for several reasons: The book outlines Plato’s famous banishment of poets
B. Prasad does one thing, and he does it very well: he takes a terrifying, abstract, philosophy-drenched subject and turns it into a passable, memorable, even occasionally interesting set of lessons. He builds the scaffolding so that later, if the student is curious, they can climb higher and read the original masters. Plato famously banned poets from his ideal Republic,
| Feature | B. Prasad: An Intro. to Literary Criticism | M.H. Abrams: A Glossary of Literary Terms | Peter Barry: Beginning Theory | W.H. Hudson: An Introduction to the Study of Literature | |:---|:---|:---|:---|:---| | | Historical survey of critics & movements | Reference definitions of critical & literary terms | Introduction to modern & post-modern literary theory | General introduction to literary study | | Structure | Strict chronological narrative | Alphabetical, encyclopedic entries | Thematic chapters, each on a "theory" | Thematic exploration of prose, poetry, drama | | Pedagogical Aids | End-of-book Bibliography & Index of Terms | Extensive cross-referencing, index | "Stop and Think" questions, further reading | None specified | | Target Audience | Indian UG students, general introduction | All literature students, as a reference | Advanced UG students new to "Theory" | First-year students in literature | | Key Strength | Clear, linear historical foundation | Unmatched breadth & precision for definitions | Accessible and engaging coverage of complex modern theories | Focus on the experience of reading literature |
Theory of Literature by Wellek and Warren (for a more advanced, structuralist approach).