{"product_id":"2026200015525-secondhand-practical-criticism","title":"Practical Criticism","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: No dust jacket\u003cbr\u003ePages: Yellowed\u003cbr\u003eCondition remarks: Condition as shown in image\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst published in 1929, Practical Criticism stands as one of the most groundbreaking and influential works in the history of literary studies, fundamentally reshaping how readers, students, and scholars engage with poetry. I. A. Richards devised a bold experiment at Cambridge University, presenting students with poems stripped of their titles and authors, then meticulously analysing the written responses to uncover the widespread misreadings, prejudices, and emotional confusion that clouded genuine literary understanding. The results were at once startling and revelatory, exposing the gap between what readers think they understand and what a text actually communicates.\n\nRichards argues with surgical precision that close, attentive reading is a disciplined skill that must be cultivated — not assumed — and in doing so, he effectively laid the intellectual foundations for the New Criticism movement that would dominate literary academia for decades. His methodology champions the intrinsic value of the text itself, prioritising careful analysis of meaning, tone, feeling, and intention over biographical or historical context. Practical Criticism remains an essential touchstone for anyone serious about the art of reading, leaving one to wonder: how much of what we read do we truly understand?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49203210584283,"sku":"2026200015525-SECONDHAND","price":12.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/6994e9c6-d751-4ff9-87fe-a57fff502ae1.png?v=1788145828","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200015525-secondhand-practical-criticism","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}