The Nature of criticism by Herbert Read

                             The Nature of criticism

                                                                   By :- Herbert Read

About writer

            Sir, Herbert Edward Read (1893-1968) was born in Yorkshire UK and educated at the university of leads. He served in world war - 1 and after that as assistant keeper at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (1922-1931)

            He wrote vers and prose as well as a large number of article on both fine and the applied art.

            His books include

1.  '' The meaning of Art '' (1931)
2.     '' Art and Industry '' (1934)
3.   '' Art and Society '' (1936)
4. '' The philosophy of modern art '' (1952)
5.  '' English prose style '' (1928)
6.     '' Words worth'' (1930)
7. ''Collected essayist in literary criticism'' (1938)
8.    '' Poetry and experience''(1967)
9.   '' The cult of sincerity" (1969)
10.    '' The collected poem''(1966)

Nature of criticism - Herbert Read

Introduction:-

            The Nature of criticism is an essay which talks about the inclusion of scientific or psychological elements for emotional appreciation. There are many tools or weapons which are used to criticism or evaluate a work of art. It was a perhaps only Coleridge who tried to give literary criticism a scientific approach by relating it truly the technical process of philosophy. To evaluate literature scientifically the hard work from every corner is necessary any science covers a large variety of every field and it evaluates literature from that point of view to analysis literature aesthetically you have to considered all their implication which are social or ethical in nature. So there is a need for definitely one literature from another one.

            The discipline is psychology it is only concerned with the process of mental activity was as literary criticism takes into consideration the product. According to psychologist art is an expression of mentality and does not take into consideration the literary values. Whereas psychoanalysis involves reeducation of the symbols to its proper origin. In art, there are many symbols and according to Alfred Alder '' the attractive on a work of art cries from its synthesis''. This was the general limitations of psychological criticism that it is more concern with literature then criticism.

Need for scientific Approach:-

            There are many ways to judge/ evaluate/ criticism a work generally most of the work is criticised emotionally. But now it is not enough, so we have requires new weapons Coleridge takes it to mental science and colled it the technical process of philosophy.

            For the literary critic psychology gains intimate importance because it is so directly concerned with the material origins of Art.

Psycho-Analysis :-

            Art use symbols once symbols are dissolved to its origin it was no aesthetic significance '' Art is an art as a symbol not as a sign ''. Herbert Read argues that to be a good writer one has to be a good critic. His creative work emerges from his critical perceptions but to begin with psychoanalysis and come to creativity is a complete mistake. No work will be written if one doesn't understand life as a schematic. Experience teaches understanding that's why Herbear Read says that '' Art has only origin experience''.

            The attraction of a work of art arrives from its synthesis and that the analysis of science profanes and destroys this synthesis.

Three Question:-

            In endeavour to discover the critical utility of psychoanalysis. Herbert Read puts foreword three-question they are as follow.

1. What general function does psycho-analysis give to literature?

2. How does psycho-analysis explain the process of poetic creation or inspiration?

3. Does psycho-analysis cause us to extend in any way the function of criticism?

            According to Herbert Read, three psychologists can explain the concept of psychoanalysis in best way is Sigmund Freud, Carl, Jung, Alfred Adler. In the matter of the general function of literature. Jung is only one of the three to create in detail. He takes about the general principle of contrasting attitude. The contrasting attitudes are known as introversion and extroversion.

            Any contrasted attitude is an outcome of a specific activity which unites and separates them. This activity according to Jung is phantasy. This situation is known as antithesis, as a result, any work of art requires phantasy for optimum imagination. Coming to the second aspect the social validity of a particular symbol is a very important symbol in literature is more intelligent than the normal symbol or the normal unconscious symbol of psychology. Any creative mind is capable of psycho-analysis and in any mind, there are to contrary tendencies one of them being conscious and in the second being imagination perhaps subconsciously.

Introversion - Extraversion:-

            Herbert Read gives two words Introversion and Extraversion. They are division so we can trace every activity related to it and which we may variously paraphrase as the opposition between subject and object between thought and feeling between idea and thing.

Active - Passive Phantasy:-

            Jung farther differentiate phantasy into two divisions they are active and passive phantasy. The last one he thinks as morbid. so let's discuss active phantasy.

            It is related to mind. It gives some indications. The poetic function is nothing else, but active phantasy. Art comes out of mind. There in the mind of flow springs and from the inner well primordial (basic) images instinctive feelings, springs. Thus the process os psycho-analysis and literary criticism run together.

            The more abnormal individual the more limited will be the common social values of the symbol. He produces symbol in literature and symbol in psychology are different. In literature, it is precise deliberate intelligent than the normal unconscious symbol os psychology. If this psycho-analysis can help us to test its social validity then it can be of some use to literary criticism.

Part - 2

1) Do we gain any further light from the psycho-analysis of the creative mind ?

2) How does the modern psychologist define inspiration, and does his definition bear any correspondence to air critical concept?

            The main problem of the literary criticism is the question between Romanticism and Classicism. This complexity gives birth two ''Inspiration'' which is not at all conscious in nature. Moreover, the ideas are the activity of inspiration is explained by a modern psychologist who is combine together satisfactory to give poetic inspiration. But it does not have any format to understand the emotional state.

            Any inspiration is an outcome of an effective procedure. First, there is thought which gets converted to a mental image which wild later on selected or related.

            It is important to remember that the struggle between classicism and romanticism also exits inside each mind and it is from this very struggle that the work is born. The classic work of art-related the triumph of order and measure over an inner romanticism. And the wilder the riot to be tamed the more beautiful your work will be. If the thing is orderly in its inception. The work will be cold and without interest.

Concept of Inspiration / Role of Inspiration :-

            The concept of Inspiration is beautifully illustrated by Plato. Who says that a poet creates poetry not by Art but by inspiration and possession. Though this read wants to suggest that poetry, planning and sculpture can not be merely developed by skill, but it requires a lot of inspiration which is very spiritual in nature. It also believes that inspiration has not been religious at all. It has become an aesthetic term.

            The classical and the romantic writers were totally different in their attitude but the romantic writer always had to be subjective and which requires psycho-analysis to be done.

            We can ask a question to modern psychologist that what is inspiration? Herbert Read...

·       Id - The identify unconscious ( pleasure principle)

·       Ego - The self subconscious ( Rational reality principle)

·       Superego - Refer to moral sensibility conscious ( morality principle)

                        Sigmund Freud made some observation in his book new Introductory Lectures (1933) and in this book, he gave the concept of three levels of consciousness Id, Ego and Superego.

1) Id :-

            Id occupies larger part. It remains mostly hidden. It is difficult to access we know little about it only. Through the study of dreams, we can learn something about Id. It has negative characters. Id is chaotic states of mind. It is instinctive. It is filled with energy but there is no reason and it dares to do anything. So it does not no fear. It believes in the pleasure principle. It does not consider any moral values. So you can call it devilish. Actually this the first stage to the instinct. Children have power full feeling Id is away from the reality principle.

2) Ego - Super ego :-

            Another level of consciousness is the ego. It occupies smaller part compare to Id and Superego Freud calls it reality principle. It is a link between Id and Superego. Id is dark ego is clear. It has a reason and so it has order and value formal organization takes place. A mature or rational human is the indication of ego. It was a social and moral aim. Id can be transformed into ego.

            The third level of consciousness is the superego. It is the perfect condition.It restricts all sort of immoral things. This is the highest sort of order. It can make man a saint or an artist. A human has not complete Id or superego. so they have ego.

Id, Ego and Superego source of Inspiration.

            This shows that each region of mind is related to the work of art.

·       Energy , irrationality and mysterious power come Id. It is a source of Inspiration.

·       Order is given by ego.      

·       And finally it mixes into ideology or spirituality.

            That is the work of superego.

  Out of Id comes out sudden prompting or words sound or images. An artist creates his work from all these things.

·       Plenty of things happens the depth's of these layers. The common man is unable to understand or access to them. These things are brought out only by artist. They give shape to them. So we can say that reading of psychology can be helpful in the understanding of poetic process or theory of Inspiration.

Superiority - omplex

 Part -3 question - 3 :-

            Herbert Read, in the third part of the essay asks a question that does psycho - analysis modify in any way our conception of the critic's function?

            To explain this point he takes example reference to '' the Hamlet Problem ''. Because since two hundred years and extensive body of criticism has accumulated around Shakespeare's cryptic masterpiece. The difficulty for the critics by remaining within the canons of art for Hamlet's hesitancy in seeking to revenge his father's murder. 

            Herbert Read takes the reference to the summary given by Dr Earnest Jones.

            Since it obligation many critics had tried to give their opinions about Hamlet problem. By applying various theories or viewpoints in it. But none is satisfactory.

            Their are two main points of view: One, that of Goethe and Coleridge finds a sufficient explanation of the inconsistencies of the play in the temperament of Hamlet, whom they regard as a noble nature. But one incapable of decisive action of any kind without that energy of the soul. Which constitutes the hero as Goethe expresses it. The second point of view sees a sufficient explanation in the difficulty of the task that Hamlet is called upon to perform both these theories have been decisively refuted.

·                   There is also criticism against the tragedy of Hamlet that it is in its essence inexplicable incoherent incongruous.

·        Another thing we can check is Robertson's thesis Read takes as an is that Shakespeare found in the old play an action that to his time discounting sense was one of unexplained delay. There is also criticism against it that ''Hamlet is missing artistic consistency''. So Hamlet is not finally an intelligible drama. As it sens so that the play can not be explained from within.

              All this leaves us curiously dissatisfied. We do not get a further understanding of the play with traditional criticism. So now let's try to read and explain through the spectacle of psycho-analysis.

            Dr.Jones has given a psychological explanation in his study of Hamlet. Dr Jones sees in Hamlet vacillation the workings of a typical complex the Oedipus Complex. As it is called by the psycho-analysis; that is to say the mental peculiarities of Hamlet expressed throughout the play with such vividness and actuality, can be explained as the consequences of 'repressed' intention, incestuous wishes stirred into activity by the death of the father and the appearance of a rival Claudius.

To sum up :-

            Thus with the help of this hypothesis, Dr Jones explained very credibly all the difficulties and incoherence of the action. Which was not done by traditional criticism.

            (Typed by Baroliya Radhika & Bavaliya Bindiya- T.Y.B.A.)