新批评的“功”与“熵”

The “Efficacy” and “Entropy” of the New Criticism

新批评改变了文学教育与批评的旧面貌,对现代文论的影响不容忽视。它的"功"体现在三点:专注于文本批评,从语用上解释了文学性,使用专门术语进行了精确的语义分析。但是学界常谈的"细读法",并非其有效的理论贡献,是为"熵"。本文在简要梳理其优点与不足的过程中,重新认识新批评在文学批评中的重要理论价值。

It is undeniable that the New Criticism has reshaped literary education and criticisms. It has an immense influence upon the modern literary theories as well. Its 'efficacy' lies in its concentration on the textual criticism, its illustration of the literariness with pragmatics, and its accurate semantic analysis with specific terms. However, the so called 'close reading' should not be considered as its contribution to the literary theory but rather its 'entropy'. Thus, this essay attempts to figure out the merits and inadequacies of the New Criticism in order to reestimate its theoretical value.