The Formalism School of Literary Criticism
1. Introduction:
Formalism is a school of literary criticism that emphasizes the study of a text’s form and structure rather than its content. The fundamental aspect of a formalist critic is to visualize a literary work from the perspective of “language, structure and tone”. Such criticism is about the vibe of literature.
2. The Language of Formalism:
Formalists believed that the way a text is written (its language) is more important than what it says (its content). They thought that by looking closely at the language of a text, we can understand its hidden meaning.
3. The Structure of Formalism:
Formalists also paid attention to the way a text is structured. They believed that the way a text is organized can tell us a lot about its hidden meaning.
4. The Tone of Formalism:
Last but not least, formalists were also interested in the tone of a text. They thought that the tone can reveal the author’s true intentions.
5. Conclusion:
In conclusion, formalism is a literary theory that emphasizes the study of a text’s form, language, structure and tone. Formalists believed that by looking closely at these elements, we can understand a text’s hidden meaning.