Download or Stream Critical Practice by Belsey for Free: A PDF Book on Literature and Culture

Critical Practice by Catherine Belsey: A Review

Critical Practice is a seminal book by Catherine Belsey, a British literary critic and theorist. It was first published in 1980 and has since been reprinted several times. The book offers a comprehensive introduction to contemporary literary theory and criticism, drawing on various schools of thought such as structuralism, post-structuralism, Marxism, feminism, psychoanalysis, and deconstruction. The book aims to challenge the conventional ways of reading literature that rely on common sense, naturalized meanings, fixed identities, and universal values. Instead, it proposes a new way of reading that is critical, interrogative, deconstructive, and productive.

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In this article, I will provide a summary and analysis of each chapter of Critical Practice, as well as a guide on how to download the book for free online. I will also explain how to cite the book in your academic work using different citation styles. By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of what Critical Practice is about, why it is important, and how it can help you improve your literary skills.

Criticism and Common Sense

The first chapter of Critical Practice challenges the notion of common sense in literary criticism. Belsey argues that common sense is not a natural or universal way of understanding reality, but rather a historical and ideological construct that serves the interests of certain groups and classes. She traces the origins of common sense to the Enlightenment period, when reason was seen as a source of objective knowledge and truth. She then shows how common sense became a dominant mode of thinking in Western culture, especially in the fields of philosophy, science, and literature.

Belsey criticizes the common sense approach to literature, which assumes that texts have fixed and transparent meanings, that readers have direct and unmediated access to those meanings, and that criticism is a neutral and impartial activity that simply describes and evaluates texts. She points out the limitations and contradictions of this approach, such as its inability to account for the diversity and complexity of texts and readers, its tendency to ignore the historical and social contexts of texts and readers, and its complicity with the dominant ideology and values of the society. She also exposes the hidden assumptions and prejudices of common sense criticism, such as its preference for realism, coherence, unity, harmony, and closure in texts, its disregard for the role of language, structure, form, and style in texts, and its exclusion or marginalization of alternative or oppositional readings and voices.

Belsey proposes a different way of reading literature that is critical rather than common sense. She defines criticism as a practice that questions the naturalized meanings and values of texts and readers, that reveals the ideological effects and implications of texts and readers, and that produces new meanings and values through reading. She argues that criticism is not a passive or objective activity, but rather an active and creative one that involves interpretation, evaluation, and intervention. She also suggests that criticism is not a solitary or individual activity, but rather a collective and dialogic one that involves communication, debate, and negotiation among different readers and critics.

Criticism and Meaning

The second chapter of Critical Practice explores the concept of meaning and how it is constructed by texts and readers. Belsey begins by distinguishing between two types of meaning: denotation and connotation. Denotation is the literal or dictionary meaning of a word or sign, while connotation is the additional or implied meaning of a word or sign that depends on the context and the culture. For example, the word "rose" denotes a type of flower, but it can also connote love, beauty, romance, etc. depending on how it is used and understood.

Belsey argues that most common sense critics focus on the denotative meaning of texts, ignoring or dismissing their connotative meaning. They assume that texts have a single and stable meaning that can be easily extracted by readers. They also assume that texts are autonomous and self-contained entities that are independent of their contexts and cultures. Belsey challenges these assumptions by showing how texts are complex and dynamic systems of signs that generate multiple and variable meanings depending on how they are structured, arranged, combined, contrasted, etc. She also shows how texts are intertextual and contextual entities that are influenced by other texts and by their historical and social situations.

Belsey proposes a different way of reading literature that is attentive to the connotative meaning of texts as well as their denotative meaning. She defines meaning as a process rather than a product, as a result of interaction rather than extraction, as a function of difference rather than identity. She argues that meaning is not inherent in texts or in readers, but rather produced by texts and readers in relation to each other. She also suggests that meaning is not fixed or final, but rather open-ended or provisional.

Addressing the Subject

The third chapter of Critical Practice examines the role of the subject and ideology in literary criticism. Belsey begins by defining the subject as the individual human being who thinks, feels, acts, speaks, writes, reads, etc. She then defines ideology as the system of beliefs, values, norms, attitudes, etc. that shape the subject's perception of reality and behavior in society. She argues that both the subject and ideology are historical and cultural constructs that change over time and vary across space.

Belsey argues that most common sense critics ignore or deny the role of the subject and ideology in literary criticism. They assume that both the authorial subject (the writer) and the readerly subject (the reader) are autonomous and unified entities that have a stable identity and a free will. They also assume that both the authorial subject and the readerly subject are ideology-free entities that have a neutral and objective view of reality. Belsey challenges these assumptions by showing how both the authorial subject and the readerly subject are constructed and divided by language, discourse, and ideology. She also shows how both the authorial subject and the readerly subject are subjected to ideology, which influences their production, reception, and interpretation of texts.

Belsey proposes a different way of reading literature that acknowledges and analyzes the role of the subject and ideology in literary criticism. She defines the subject as a process rather than a substance, as a result creative skills as a reader and writer of literature. You will also be inspired to read more texts and discourses critically and productively, and to produce your own texts and discourses critically and productively.

• How can I download Critical Practice by Catherine Belsey for free?

You can download Critical Practice by Catherine Belsey for free from some websites that offer free downloads or streaming of the book in PDF format. Some of these websites are: Internet Archive and Wiley Online Library. You can follow the steps that I have provided in this article to use these websites to access the book online.

• How can I cite Critical Practice by Catherine Belsey in my academic work?

You can cite Critical Practice by Catherine Belsey in your academic work using the citation style that is required or preferred by your instructor, institution, or discipline. There are many citation styles that you can choose from, such as MLA, APA, Chicago, etc. You can follow the examples that I have provided in this article to cite the book using these citation styles.

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