New Criticism Poetry Analysis

What is New Criticism? Analysis of ONLY the language of a text Interested in uniformity of meaning throughout a text Best suited for short works like poems Generally, we call using New Criticism on a poem an annotation of a poem

Questions to Ask Word choice: Is it simple or difficult? How are significant words placed in the poem / passage? How do the words reflect or reinforce the meaning? Figurative language and use of imagery: look at the use of metaphor, simile, analogy, personification, etc. What kind of imagery do you notice? How does this use of figurative language affect the poem / passage? Do certain images or ideas recur? Do they change? How might repetition of or changes in imagery or figures be significant? Repetition of words, images, sounds: how does repetition affect your reading of the poem / passage? What patterns of repetition occur? How are these connected? Why and to what effect? Other types of language play: how do rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, etc., contribute to the sense of the poem / passage?

Questions to Ask 5. Ambiguity: what words are used ambiguously and what is their impact on the meaning of the poem / passage? What is the relation of doubled or multiple meanings to the overall passage? 6. Syntax: how does the placement of elements in a sentence or phrase, or word order in a line work in the poem / passage? Are there changes in the expected word order that emphasize certain readings or suggest meanings? 7. Style: does the text have short, choppy sentences or long complex ones? What about emotional tenor, tone, irony, or humor. How does the style affect your reading of the poem / passage? 8. The narrator / speaker: who is telling the story? Is the person using the first or third person? Is the narrator male or female? What role does gender play in helping us to situate the speaker? Is the person speaking to us, the readers, or to someone else? What is the narrator's stake in telling the story?