DHARABA GOHILROLL NO: 8

SEMESTER : 2 ENROLLMENT NO.: 2609108420170011BATCH : 2016- 18

PAPER NO: 7 LITERARY THEORY AND CRITICISM: THE

20T H WESTERN & INDIAN CRITICISM

SMT. S. B. GARDI. DEPT. OF ENGLISH

I. A. Richards Figurative Language Theory

Introduction about I .A. Richards

He was an English critic and poet. While a lecturer at Cambridge, Richards wrote influential works, including Principles of Literary Criticism (1924), in which he introduced a new way of reading poetry that led to the New Criticism. His some works like:

Science and Poetry Coleridge on Imagination Mencius of the Mind The Philosophy of Rhetoric The Speculative Instruments In that period he wrote three of his most influential books: The

Meaning of meaning (1923) a pioneer work on semantics and Principles of Literary Criticism (1924) and Practical Criticism (1929), companion volumes that he used to develop his critical method.

Four Kind of Meaning

According to him the poet writes to communicate, and language is the means of that Communication Language is made of words and therefore it is a study of words is all important if the meaning of work of art is understood. Words carry four kind of meaning sense, Feelings Tone and intention, which are enlisted below

Ø SenseØ FeelingsØ ToneØ Intention

Value of Figurative Language

Sometimes it is possible that figurative language may create some misunderstanding in any literary work. Therefore it is necessary to identify the figures of speech.

It is difficult to turn poetry into logical respectable prose. Is combining with recognition of the liberties which are proper for a poet, and the power and value of figurative language.

There are various comments on the above piece of the hyperbole of the sea-harp. The only concrete simile in the octave is the likening of the sea to a harp- surely a little extravagant.

Continue..

There is no doubt that the similarity between the sound of a harp and the sea but in poetry such things do happen.

It is clear that the effect proposed by the poet is, an exhilarating awakening of wonder and a fusion of the sea, lightning and spring, those three most moving manifestations of Nature.

Source of Misunderstanding in poetry:

This is the main part of figurative language which was discussed by I. A. Richards that poetry is the biggest source of misunderstanding and most of the time people use to misunderstand poetry. Because they can never reach to the intention of an author and so they interpret literary work as per their understanding.

As everyone knows that every literary work has a loop hole in it which can become a cause of work’s deconstruction. But that loop hole also becomes rezone of misunderstanding of work, too.

If person don’t know about author’s background, history and intention about poem then there are sent percent chances of misunderstanding in poetry.

It can be possible that what a person understand from a poem that was never can be purpose of poet.

But main point is close reading of text. Near study of text must be needed and language of poetry always helps reader to interpret itself.

Conclusion

In very simple words and language we can describe figurative language as close study of words and only text without any background, history, writer, but just as an individual text and interpret in our own understanding.

It can lead a reader to misunderstanding too but then even it can never be wrong because not a single thing, single interpretation in poetry can be wrong because every poetry has numbers of interpretations because a work of art has numbers of interpretations.

Interpretations are based on mind, mentality, background, brought up, and society of reader. It may be leads reader to misreading of poetry but then even can be originality of literary work without any prejudices.

It is not justly based on assumptions but it s based on words, emotions, intention and scientific methods.

Work Cited:

http://wikieducator.org/Richards_figurative_language

http://dilipbarad.blogspot.in/2014/12/ia-richards-figurative-language.html