Genetic Criticism: Tracing Creativity in Literature

Genetic criticism is a method in the study of literary writing processes that aims to introduce this strategy to a broader audience,from interested readers and graduate students to early career researchers and literary critics. It is based on the assumption that knowing how something was made can help us understand how and why it works. Note books, marginalia, manuscripts, and typescripts give a concrete dimension to literature, which involves concrete, transferrable skills such as aspects of transcription and digital scholarly editing, as well as more abstract theoretical issues relating to authorship, collaboration, authority, agency, intention and intertextuality.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 24 February 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press

In Genetic Criticism, Dirk Van Hulle introduces the study of creative processes to an Anglophone audience, serving as a method in the study of literary writing processes and a reading strategy. The book aims to introduce this strategy to a broader audience, ranging from interested readers and graduate students to early career researchers and literary critics. In literary studies, it is often evident that a particular work resonates with readers, but pinpointing the exact reasons behind its effectiveness can be challenging. This book begins with a fundamental assumption: understanding how something was created can aid in understanding how and why it works. This strategy is fundamental across various disciplines, including art history. Through techniques like X-ray technology or hyperspectral imaging, paintings can be viewed as multilayered objects, encompassing spatial and temporal dimensions. The temporal dimension, at the core of the reading strategy introduced in this book, provides a concrete framework for analyzing literature. Notebooks, marginalia, manuscripts, and typescripts, even when working with scans, offer a tangible dimension to literature, making it a valuable reading strategy for many students. On the one hand, this involves practical skills such as aspects of transcription and digital scholarly editing. On the other hand, it also involves more abstract theoretical issues related to authorship, collaboration, authority, agency, intention, and intertextuality. By exploring these dimensions, genetic criticism offers a comprehensive approach to understanding the complexities of literary works and their impact on readers.

Weight: 600g
Dimension: 165 x 242 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192846792