Before diving into the moderns, Prasad pays homage to the Greeks. His chapters on Plato (the idealistic skeptic who wanted to ban poets from his republic) and Aristotle (the empirical analyst who gave us Poetics and the concepts of mimesis, catharsis, and hamartia) are particularly strong. He makes Aristotle’s “plot is the soul of tragedy” feel like a revelation, not a cliché.
Explores the shift toward emotion and imagination with Wordsworth and Coleridge.
An Introduction to Literary Criticism by B. Prasad is the bridge between being a "casual reader" and a "literary critic." It provides the vocabulary and the historical context necessary to look behind the curtain of a poem or play and understand the mechanics of its greatness. An Introduction To Literary Criticism By B Prasad
Prasad’s work remains a staple in university syllabi because it bridges the gap between historical context and theoretical application. It provides beginners with the vocabulary needed to analyze texts critically, offering a clear roadmap of how human beings have evaluated storytelling over two millennia.
: Prasad defines criticism as the "art of interpreting art," serving as an intermediary that explains the author's work to the reader. Before diving into the moderns, Prasad pays homage
Evaluated English drama against classical rules, earning his reputation as the "father of English criticism."
Literary criticism can be defined as a disciplined and systematic study of literary works, which seeks to explore their meaning, significance, and aesthetic value. It involves a critical evaluation of the literary work, taking into account various factors such as the author's intention, historical context, cultural background, and literary devices used. The scope of literary criticism is vast and multidisciplinary, drawing on various fields such as history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and linguistics. Explores the shift toward emotion and imagination with
B. Prasad is a renowned Indian scholar and critic who has made significant contributions to the field of literary criticism. With a deep understanding of literary theory and a keen analytical mind, Prasad has written extensively on various aspects of literature, including literary criticism, literary theory, and Indian literature. His work "An Introduction to Literary Criticism" is a seminal text that has been widely used by students and scholars of literature.
B. Prasad structures the text chronologically to trace the evolution of critical thought. The book divides the history of literary criticism into distinct phases, focusing primarily on British traditions while anchoring them in classical Greek and Roman foundations. It is widely praised for its clear language, structured summaries, and textbook-style approach to dense philosophical concepts. Classical Foundations: The Greek and Roman Origins
Define terms like mimesis , catharsis , objective correlative , and negative capability .
Focuses on his theory of Mimesis (imitation) and his famous charge against poets for being "twice removed from reality."