Mary Dawson<br>
English 214<br>
2nd Micro-Essay<br>
What is Reality?<br>
9/5/97<p>
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	In chapter three of Terry Eagleton’s Literary Theory, he discussed the success of  New Criticism that was mentioned earlier in the book.  He introduces the reader to   Northrup Frye, a Canadian and author of Anatomy of Criticism, who states that what was needed in literary criticism was less subjective value judgements and a more disciplined objective system.  One of the ways Frye saw literature was in four segmented areas:  "comic, romantic, tragic, and ironic, which could be seen to correspond respectively to the four ‘mythoi’ of spring, summer, autumn and winter" (Eagleton, 80).  Eagleton goes on to say that because Frye sees literature as a ‘substitute’ history through the eyes of the writer.  I have to admit that if I were a writer who was driven to tell the story of history in my own way and include how it effected me, perhaps I would understand why Eagleton criticizes Frye for seeing literary history so important.  After all, who can trust the historians who give their perspective and deem it as important as the literary write?  In my opinion, it is all relevant.  I agree with Frye in that literature can be paralleled with the seasons of the year and the four categories he has designate (i.e. comic, romantic, tragic, and ironic).  I disagree with Eagleton when he says that "Frye offers literature as a displaced version of religion."  Nothing Eagleton has stated in this criticism of Frye has convinced me that Frye views literature in this manner.  Other non-religious readers and critics would agree with Frye’s approach to literary interpretation.  Serious readers of any literary work have a responsibility to research manuscripts and letters of the writer and other readings and criticisms from writers of the same time period about the writer in question in order to make an accurate assessment of any work he or she has written.  Not all views on interpreting literature can be used on every kind of literary work because each writer of each era fall under a different criteria for writing his or her work.  Whether the reader uses a structuralism, new criticism, humanism, or Platonism point of view, the view chosen should meet the work of the writer and what was intended by the writer to say in the work.     <p>