Perspective Criticism sets out a new and illuminating biblical methodology designed to help the reader of biblical narratives in which there is a character engaged in action but no explicit indication from the storyteller on how the action is to be evaluated. Gary Yamasaki argues that in these cases we are receiving cryptic guidance from the author through the narrative technique of point-of-view. In such cases the methodology of Perspective Criticism may be applied to reveal this abstruse guidance. Gary Yamasaki provides a series of frames of analysis within the theory of Perspective Criticism which may be applied to biblical stories: the spatial, psychological, informational, temporal, phraseological, and ideological perspectives. Because the majority of the point-of-view devices found in biblical narratives are also used in cinematic storytelling, the book includes accessible analyses of film scenes, providing pop-culture illustrations of the workings of the point-of-view perspective. Gary Yamasaki concludes by applying his method to two case studies: the New Testament story of Gamaliel, and the Old Testament story of Gideon. In his work Yamasaki creates a valuable foundation for the deeper understanding of biblical narrative, a gift to anyone who has struggled with the concealed messages that should be divined in biblical point-of-view narratives.

Philosophical Speculations About The Origin Of Poetry And The Nature And Function Of Criticism Have Engaged The Attention Of Poets And Critics For Over 2500 Years In The West And Still There Is No Consensus Either Regarding The Mysterious Process Of Creation Or The Proper Function Of Literary Criticism. One Reason, Of Course, Is That There Is A Lack Of Definiteness Both About The Nature Of The Object And About The Tools For Judging It. Unlike An Architecture A Temple Or A Mosque A Literary Work Does Not Conveniently Exist In Space And Time. Paradoxically, Though Frozen In Time It Transcends Time. The Problem Is Further Complicated By The Fact That Since Reading A Poem Is An Aesthetic Experience We Cannot Read The Same Poem Twice, Because During The Period Intervening Between The First Reading And The Second We Have Changed.However, In Recent Years, Particularly During The Second Half Of The Twentieth Century Literary Criticism Has Burgeoned Into Too Many Schools And Theories Resulting In A Complete Critical Anarchy. In This Period Of Confusion, Standing On The Darkling Plain As We Are, We Must Focus On The Real Function Of Literature And Save Literature From Being A Casualty In The Cross-Fire Of Literary Theories. Literary Criticism Is A Discourse On Literature, An Art Of Judging Literature And Deciding How Far And For What Reasons A Literary Work Is Good Or Bad, Great Or Useless. In Fact, The Term Criticism Is Derived From The Greek Krino Which Means To Judge And Krites Which Means A Judge. We Should Never Lose Sight Of The Fact That Literary Criticism Must Be Literary Criticism. And The Literary Value Of A Work Must Be Judged By Literary Criteria Alone.The Essays Included In This Volume Constitute A Significant Body Of Literary Criticism In The True Sense Of The Term. Keeping Their Focus Sharply On The Literary Text The Critics, By Comparison And Analysis, Have Tried To Evaluate Different Authors And Their Works. In Their Wider Gropings They Have Also Embraced The Other Areas Such As The Relation Between Linguistics, Literary Criticism, Scholarship And Teaching, Etc.

Now in its second edition, Rhetorical Criticism: Perspectives in Action presents a thorough, accessible, and well-grounded introduction to contemporary rhetorical criticism. Systematic chapters contributed by noted experts introduce the fundamental aspects of a perspective, provide students with an example to model when writing their own criticism, and address the potentials and pitfalls of the approach. In addition to covering traditional modes of rhetorical criticism, the volume presents less commonly discussed rhetorical perspectives, exposing students to a wide cross-section of techniques.

Arthur Asa Berger's unique ability to translate difficult theories into accessible language makes this book an ideal introduction to cultural criticism. Berger covers the key theorists, concepts, and subject areas, from literary, sociological and psychoanalytical theories to semiotics and Marxism. Cultural Criticism breathes new life into the discipline by making these theories relevant to students' lives. The author illustrates his explanations with excerpts from classic works giving readers a sense of the important thinkers' styles and helping place them in their context. Berger also provides a comprehensive bibliography on cultural criticism for those who wish to explore the topics at greater length. Cultural Criticism is the perfect undergraduate supplemental text for such courses as media studies, literary criticism, and popular culture.

Given the prominence of the electronic media in the 21st century, it is crucial that both media professionals and consumers know how to decipher and evaluate media content, the assumptions on which that content is based, and the constraints to which it is subject. Electronic Media Criticismoffers a variety of critical approaches to audio and video discourse. Rather than restricting itself to one perspective, the book applies key aesthetic, sociological, philosophical, psychological, structural, and economic principles to arrive at a comprehensive evaluation of both programming and advertising content. Maintaining the approach of the original volume, this second edition includes: * updated chapters to reflect the current media world, including sample reviews and illustrations, * material pertaining to "new media"--because the book is process-oriented rather than medium-oriented, Internet referents are interspersed in discussion of the various critical perspectives, * two additional scripts for critical analysis--an episode of The Simpsonsand an installment of the dark Canadian comedy The Newsroom,and * new exercises for further practice in applying critical procedures. Orlik interweaves the insights of industry and academic authorities, recognizing that both orientations are essential in the development of a valid and viable critical outlook. Written for media students and practitioners, all readers of this volume will gain feasible and flexible tools for focused and rational analysis of electronic media products, as well as improved understanding of the role and essential ingredients of criticism itself.

Scott Peeples here examines the many controversies surrounding the work and life of Poe, shedding light on such issues as the relevance of literary criticism to teaching, the role of biography in literary study, and the importance of integrating various interpretations into one's own reading of literature.

To the renowned psychoanalyst, philosopher, and linguist Julia Kristeva, Melanie Klein (1882–1960) was the most original innovator, male or female, in the psychoanalytic arena. Klein pioneered psychoanalytic practice with children and made major contributions to our understanding of both psychosis and autism. Along the way, she successfully introduced a new approach to the theory of the unconscious without abandoning the principles set forth by Freud. In her first biography of a fellow psychoanalyst, the prolific Kristeva considers Klein's life and intellectual development, weaving a narrative that covers the history of psychoanalysis and illuminates Kristeva's own life and work. Kristeva tells the remarkable story of Klein's life: an unhappy wife and mother who underwent analysis, and—without a medical or other advanced degree—became an analyst herself at the age of 40. In examining her work, Kristeva proposes that Klein's "break" with Freud was really an attempt to complete his theory of the unconscious. Kristeva addresses Klein's numerous critics, and, in doing so, bridges the wide gulf between the clinical and theoretical worlds of psychoanalysis. Klein is celebrated here as the first person to see the mother as the source of not only creativity, but of thought itself, and the first to consider the place of matricide in psychic development. As such, Klein is a seminal figure in the evolution of the provocative ideas about motherhood and the psyche for which Kristeva is most famous. Klein is thus, in a sense, a mother to Kristeva, making this book an account of the development of Kristeva's own thought as well as Klein's.