Criticism and Truth

Name: Criticism and Truth
ISBN: 9787208139077

罗兰·巴特 / 温晋仪Shanghai People's Publishing House · ChinaJul 2019

3.7

Word count: 31K words
Chapters: 15
ISBN: 9787208139077

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Summary

Criticism and Truth can be seen as Roland Barthes's manifesto for the New Criticism. The book has two parts: the first vigorously refutes the arguments and evidence of his polemical opponent, the French literary critic Raymond Picard; the second proposes a science of literature—that is, literary criticism should be an open, risky discourse that confers a particular meaning on a work, imposing a meaning rather than analyzing how meaning is produced. In the polemic, Barthes pushes his opponent toward a right-wing, even far-right position, while he himself stands on the opposite side, joining a camp that runs from Proust through Freud, Lacan, Chomsky, Mallarmé, Jakobson, and Blanchot to Bataille, Saussure, Lévi-Strauss, Lukács, and Goldmann. In this camp there are no longer poets or novelists—only writing itself.

Editor's review

Critique et Vérité is a polemical work published in 1966 by the renowned French literary theorist Roland Barthes, a forceful rebuttal of traditional academic criticism that has been called 'the manifesto of the New Criticism.' The book emerged from the famous 'Quarrel of the New Criticism' between Barthes and Raymond Picard, a professor at the University of Paris; with a sharp pen, Barthes defended the legitimacy of modern criticism—criticism is not the passive search for the 'truth' of a work but an active 'writing' and 'production.' Here his famous thesis of 'the death of the author' receives further elaboration, emphasizing that textual meaning is generated jointly by the reader and the structures of language.

The book is divided into two parts: the first, 'What Is Criticism?', systematically refutes the positivist tendencies of traditional criticism; the second, 'The Multivalence of Language,' displays Barthes's exquisite analysis of the complexity of literary language. Reading this book, you will enter the intellectual arena where structuralism and post-structuralism contend, and understand why literary criticism itself should be regarded as a creative activity. The book is suited not only to literary scholars: any reader interested in questions such as 'how is a text interpreted' and 'how is meaning produced' will find inspiration here. Barthes's writing combines theoretical rigor with the elegance of the essay; though it deals in profound concepts, the argument is clear and forceful, making this an excellent entry point into the core territory of twentieth-century literary theory.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in literary theory, structuralism, or post-structuralist thought
Students and researchers in literary criticism, cultural studies, or related fields
Thinkers seeking a deeper understanding of the philosophical implications of concepts such as 'text,' 'author,' and 'reading'
Readers who appreciate Roland Barthes's other works and wish to understand the key polemics of his thought

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking strongly plotted, light entertainment
Beginners with little patience for abstract theoretical argument or lacking relevant background knowledge

Reading tips

You may first read Barthes's better-known A Lover's Discourse or Mythologies to get a feel for his style, then move on to this more polemical theoretical work
You need not grasp every theoretical term on a first reading; think alongside concrete examples from literary texts
It is advisable to learn something of the context of the 1960s French intellectual world, especially the 'Quarrel of the New Criticism,' to better grasp the book's polemical edge

About the publisher

Shanghai People's Publishing House China · Founded in 1951

Shanghai People's Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher whose list focuses on academic monographs and general-interest titles in philosophy, social sciences, politics and law, economics and management, and history. Among its books are Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties History in the Chinese Dynastic History series; The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy in foreign literature; the Wenjing Classical Translation Illustrated Edition of The Complete Greek Tragedies of Euripides; and works of social theory such as Max Weber's Economy and Society and Dialectic of Enlightenment: Philosophical Fragments. Its authors include Wang Zhongluo, J.R.R. Tolkien, Luo Niansheng, and Zhou Zuoren.

版权信息
序
第一部
1.批评的拟真
2.客观性
3.品味
4.明晰性
5.说示无能
第二部
1.评论的危机
2.语言的多元性
3.文学科学化
4.批评
5.阅读
译名对照表

FAQ

Can I understand this book without a background in philosophy or literary theory?

The book has a certain theoretical depth, but Barthes's argument is relatively clear. General readers can start with its core propositions (e.g., criticism as production, the shifting role of the author) without getting bogged down in every terminological detail.

What is the relationship between this book and 'The Death of the Author'?

'The Death of the Author' is a famous essay Barthes published in 1968, whose core ideas had already taken shape in Critique et Vérité. This book can be seen as a more systematic, more polemical theoretical prelude to that essay.

Is the polemical context important for understanding the content?

Yes. The book responds directly to attacks by the French academic critic Raymond Picard. Understanding this 'Quarrel of the New Criticism' deepens one's sense of the targeted, revolutionary nature of Barthes's argument; even without it, however, his theoretical views stand on their own and remain illuminating.

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About the author

罗兰·巴特 Author

Roland Barthes is a prominent French literary theorist and critic, though details of his life are limited in the materials available on this site. Judging from the five works collected here—Mythologies (new complete translation), A Lover's Discourse, The Pleasure of the Text, S/Z, and Criticism and Truth—his writing spans literary appreciation and Western philosophy. Barthes often begins with everyday cultural phenomena, linguistic structures, and reading experiences, dismantling seemingly natural sign systems in a style that combines theoretical sharpness with essayistic sensitivity. He focuses on the multiplicity of the text, the reader's position, and the limits of criticism itself—themes that have influenced literary studies and broader humanistic thought. His arguments frequently unfold in fragments, entries, or discursive notes, breaking away from the framework of systematic treatises and making his work both approachable and challenging.

温晋仪 Author

Wen Jinyi is an author about whom limited public information is available. The only confirmed Chinese signature currently found is on the book Criticism and Truth, while the author's English name, nationality, and dates of birth and death are not clearly recorded. Based on the available information, this work is classified under Western philosophy, suggesting that the author's writing interests may center on philosophical criticism and theoretical reflection. The title itself indicates an approach that unfolds between critical practice and concern for truth, and readers may find in it an examination of established ideas and an inquiry into questions of truth. Since this is the only work in the collection, it is not yet enough to outline the author's full intellectual trajectory and writing style, nor to judge academic background and influence. A fuller understanding of Wen Jinyi will depend on the appearance of more works and public information.