ABSTRACT

A difficulty in making this subdivision is that there are two kinds of subjectivity and objectivity in literary criticism; one is stylistic and easy to define; the other might be called moral or psychological. A very common and useful literary device is to use the most objective style possible in order to carry out a purpose of psychological subjectivity; that is, to use what looks like straightforward description in order to share strong feelings with the reader. Apparently objective argument, as in political pamphlets, religious tracts and statements about education, as well as much historical writing, is really prompted by, or coloured by, personal feelings so strong as to give some degree of subjectivity to the work. This is true to a lesser extent even in such fields as science or literary criticism. Anyone who wishes to be a responsible literary critic must also be something of a psychologist.