This post is for Beth McCoy’s Toomer’s and Cane reader and text class. We discussed new criticism and read two articles about it. Our very own teacher wrote one of these articles. Both these articles are conveying the same message, that new criticism is when you separate a work from all environmental factors, meaning we don’t need to know the author or the time period. You simply just focus on the words on the page. I don’t think this is an effect way of longing at literature. I am sure I think this because I have been relying on knowing the time period and dissecting poems and works direct relating to this critical piece of information. It goes against all the tools I heavily rely on when reading literature. You could get a completely different message than the person who has looked at the history. There is simply no right answer and New Criticism is a new way of looking at works but it bothers me that I am supposed to forgo everything and try something new. I will give it my best shot because with literature you need to have an open mind.