1. critical approaches- Literary criticism is not an abstract, intellectual exercise; it is a natural human response to literature. If a friend informs you she is reading a book you have just finished, it would be odd indeed if you did not begin swapping opinions. Literary criticism is nothing more than discourse—spoken or written—about literature. A student who sits quietly in a morning English class, intimidated by the notion of literary criticism, will spend an hour that evening talking animatedly about the meaning of R.E.M. lyrics or comparing the relative merits of the three Star Trek T.V. series. It is inevitable that people will ponder, discuss, and analyze the works of art that interest them.

        The informal criticism of friends talking about literature tends to be casual, unorganized, and subjective. Since Aristotle, however, philosophers, scholars, and writers have tried to create more precise and disciplined ways of discussing literature. Literary critics have borrowed concepts from other disciplines, like linguistics, psychology, and anthropology, to analyze imagi­native literature more perceptively. Some critics have found it useful to work in the abstract area of literary theory, criticism that tries to formulate general principles rather than discuss specific texts. Mass media critics, such as newspaper reviewers, usually spend their time evaluating works—telling us which books are worth reading, which plays not to bother seeing. But most serious literary criticism is not primarily evaluative; it assumes we know that Othello or “The Death of Ivan Ilych” are worth reading. Instead, it is analytical; it tries to help us better understand a literary work.

2.

Term Explanation

(1) futile- incapable of producing any result; ineffective; useless; not successful.

(2) tuition- Tuition payments are charged by educational institutions in some countries to assist with funding of staff and faculty, course offerings, lab equipment, computer systems, libraries, facility upkeep and to provide a comfortable student learning experience. In most countries, especially non-English-speaking countries, there are no or only nominal tuition fees for all forms of education, including university and other higher education.

tuition free

3.

Vocabulary

(1) be angry with

(2) mend- fix, repair

(3) in vain- to no avail; without success: Our labor was in vain or in an irreverent or disrespectful manner: took the Lord's name in vain.

4.

'' Death of Salesman'' quiz