Summary Of C. S Lewis An Experiment In Criticism

Each individual has his or her own criticism of literature, judging the book by the cover defines each reader unliterary or literary. As we read literature do we as a reader go in so much depth, that we look at each angle of the book and acknowledge the beauty of art by the authors. The book by C.S Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism is based on the critics of literature that involves the type of readers by the type of readings. Lewis is an author who is recognized for his contribution to children literature. This book opens a view point of Lewis all-inclusive of criticism and categories of the different examples of literature: myths, fantasy and realism. Lewis explains how everyone in the world seeks in a narrow lens of our personal lives and experience that is not satisfying to our minds, which destroys the beauty of one own identity. Which reflects on the good reading of good literature has unlimited value. Which in this case “ Literature experiences heals the wound, without undermining the privilege, of individuality.”
Lewis view of an individual that acknowledge to read due to the
fact of enjoyment, majority never read anything twice, turn to reading as a last resource and draw the readers because it makes our conscious mind think of the fantasy world we can imagine. Lewis references dated back to the 50 after the first publishing date, which I found that there was a lot of French expression that I did not comprehend. I learned that
The quality of a book should not be determined by the content but rather how the reader reads the book. He argues that there are two types of individual that are literary or unliterary. Lewis suggests unliterary individuals will only read when there is free time because, “Everything has to be stressed, written up and clothed in the right clichés, if it is to hold their attentions.” (pg47) Literary individuals are delight of acknowledgement of the literature. “Those who read to understand, I make no provision”. (pg ) Lewis explains that no novel will deceives the best type of reading, that he will never mistake art either for a life or for philosophy. We as a reader can be drawn into a novel wither you read into each author point of view without rejecting or accepting. Reading a novel depends how the reader response to author story, does the story have a climax on making the reader want to continuing reading or make the reader fall asleep. The main point that Lewis is portraying is that reading fictions or scientific novels determine within a person, that one novel can influence one person and not the other. Each individual critics its in his or her way.
Lewis perception of his own viewpoint on different outlooks of literature such as myths, fantasy, and realism’s are related to how it engages people instead of evaluating literature on how it is read.
Each novel is up to the reader who reads with appreciation of the author talent of literature, in this case the story has its own value and value is independent of its embodiment in literature work. Myths and fantasy are stories that are extra literature, pleasure of the narrative attraction of suspense, the reader sympathy and the fantasy that makes the reader dream about a world of thoughts of pleasure or discomfort. The opposite of these types of literature is realism of logic. Realism stories put the base line of realistic theory of literature, which is absolute is not represent life as we see the world. In this case “Hypothetical Probability is brought in to make the
strange events more fully imaginable.” (pg 66) This novel of categories makes the reader escape, “escapism” which the reader is escaping into something out side of the world that occur in nonfiction or fiction novels.
The main point of Lewis criticism is not reflecting on the type of readers by the type of readings but he makes you think in depth of what all this adds to. He explains the view of how readers only look with a narrow lens of our own experiences and how it affects the beauty of the literary like a piece of art. For example, a good reading has unlimited value. “ Literary experiences heals the wound, without undermining the privilege, of individuality.” In Lewis view is that book can manage to contain and soothe our most overwhelming emotions. As we read, we get distracted in a world of imagination because of our conscious minds takes over and for temporary distances us from the harsh reality. Lewis changed the way I look at the quality of a book and do not base it off on the cover outline because the reader itself is the one who can interpret and critic his or her feelings that influenced by the novel itself. An Experiment in criticism changed my viewpoint that makes me realize to become more open minded of how literature can influence by healing the wound emotionally.