READ: Northrup Frye: Anatomy of Criticism
1 Who is Northrup Frye?
Herman (Norrie) Northrup Frye was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered to be one of the most influential of the 20th century.
He develop An Anatomy of Criticism, which is considered to be one of the most important works of literary theory published in the twentieth century.
Northrup Frye is considered to be the most knowledgeable literary theorist of the twentieth century, ranked by some scholars as equal to Aristotle.
So, what's a literary theorist? Someone who comes up with a system for categorizing literature. In Frye's case, works of fiction, into a pattern that is easily understandable. Think of it like a directory who comes up with a concept into which all the design areas have to fit. Not every piece of literature in each and every way fits neatly into Frye's classifications; he never meant them to - there are always exceptions.
Source:
Frye, H.N. (1957) Anatomy of Criticism, Four Essays, Princeton University Press.
Northrup Frye is considered to be the most knowledgeable literary theorist of the twentieth century, ranked by some scholars as equal to Aristotle.
So, what's a literary theorist? Someone who comes up with a system for categorizing literature. In Frye's case, works of fiction, into a pattern that is easily understandable. Think of it like a directory who comes up with a concept into which all the design areas have to fit. Not every piece of literature in each and every way fits neatly into Frye's classifications; he never meant them to - there are always exceptions.
Source:
Frye, H.N. (1957) Anatomy of Criticism, Four Essays, Princeton University Press.