Criticism

• How literary criticism interprets texts through evidence-based claims about form, theme, and context.
• To distinguish summary from analysis and evaluation in Class 12 literature responses.
• To apply basic critical lenses — formalist, historical, feminist, postcolonial — appropriately.
• To write paragraph-length critical comments aligned with CBSE long-answer rubrics.

Level 1 — Foundations

Verbal: Criticism explains how and why a text creates meaning, using quotations and technical terms (imagery, irony, structure).

Response layers:

Analytical paragraph (PEEL):

• Point — claim about text
• Evidence — short quotation
• Explanation — link device to meaning
• Link — tie to question/theme

Critical vocabulary: tone, diction, symbol, motif, narrative voice, dramatic irony.

Level 2 — Exam depth

Formalism: Focus on text itself — patterns, symbols, rhyme scheme — not author biography.

Historical/biographical: Context illuminates references — know movement (Romanticism, Modernism) for Class 12 prescribed texts.

Comparative criticism: Two texts — structure answer as thesis + Text A evidence + Text B evidence + synthesis.

Avoid: Plot retelling longer than analysis; unsupported "I feel" without textual proof.

Exam length: 120–150 words per analytical paragraph — one point deeply developed beats three shallow points.

Analyse imagery in one line of poetry

Line: "The fog comes on little cat feet." (Sandburg)
Point: Fog is **personified** as a cat — quiet, gradual arrival.
Evidence: "little cat feet" — tactile, soft consonants mimic stealth.
Effect: Urban fog feels alive, non-threatening yet enveloping — sets contemplative mood.
Link: Supports theme of nature quietly reclaiming city space.

Separate summary from criticism

Summary: "The speaker walks at night and hears cry."
Criticism: "Night setting and **repetition of silence** before the cry heighten isolation; the sudden sound functions as **auditory symbol** of buried guilt."
Second layer required for marks in literature analysis.

• PEEL acronym — expand and apply to one line you know.
• Difference between tone and mood?
• One sentence thesis for theme of conflict in a text you study.
• Stretch: How would a feminist reading question female silence in a scene?

Revision tip: Revisit adjacent topics in Literature Analysis before mixed practice on Criticism.

Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Criticism.

Open analytical answers with a thesis, not plot. Aim for two short quotations per long answer, integrated with lead-in phrases ("The phrase '…' suggests…"). Use author name and text title once in the opening sentence for context marks. If time is short, write one PEEL paragraph fully rather than three thin paragraphs — depth beats breadth in literature rubrics.

Critical paragraphs use the same PEEL skeleton as debate contentions — claim, evidence, explanation. Error-free syntax boosts literature marks; critics who write unclear sentences undermine authority. Compare criticism with inference in comprehension: both need evidence, but criticism also names device + effect. Build a personal glossary of ten terms (irony, motif, tone) with text-specific examples from your syllabus.