Literary Criticism and the Humanities: "Intersection in Context and Trajectory"

Abstract

       Literary criticism has evolved over long periods, during which it intersected with the humanities, giving rise to what are known as contextual approaches, such as the historical, psychological, and sociological approaches, among others. In this context, we attempt to address an important issue: exploring the nature of the relationship between literary criticism and the humanities, and understanding the outcomes of this interaction. Therefore, we pose the following question: How did the intersection between literary criticism and the humanities occur? And in what ways has the humanities influenced the function of criticism? This question is addressed using the descriptive-analytical and comparative methods, as they are best suited to the subject matter. Samples from different historical periods are selected.

     Among the objectives of this study is to highlight the importance of the convergence between literary criticism and the humanities in creating new critical approaches that have contributed to a deeper understanding of literary texts, and to emphasize the importance of integrating literary criticism and the humanities in analyzing and interpreting literary texts. The scientific value of this topic lies in emphasizing the critic's efforts to move beyond textual analysis and connect the text to its historical, cultural, and social contexts, which constitute its very essence—a focus of the humanities. Among the most important findings are: the critics' attempt to transcend the standards of traditional criticism by breaking the dominance of a singular framework; the expansion of textual understanding and interpretation; the introduction of new techniques for analyzing literary texts; and the critics' contribution to building a new literary consciousness, with their understanding of the relationship between literature and the external contexts in which it arose. The critics sought to surpass the standards of traditional criticism by breaking the dominance of the singular framework imposed by traditional methodologies and expanding the understanding and interpretation of texts within the framework of external contextual influences. It is worth noting that literary criticism has borrowed concepts and analytical tools from the humanities, such as sociology, history, psychology, anthropology, and philosophy, in order to address and analyze various literary texts.