Biographical / Historical criticism takes its name from where emphasis is placed when trying to understand the true meaning in a work of literature. The word Biographical comes from the emphasis placed on the author, while the word Historical comes from the emphasis placed on an age or era that the author lived in. This is also known as genetic criticism because of the idea that the author and his/her work are the offspring of …showed first 75 words of 1048 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1048 total…allusive meaning found in casual conversation.” ( Hirsch 24) Finally the interpretation must cohere with the author’s typical outlook. “The laws of coherence are variable; they depend upon the nature of the total meaning under consideration.” ( Hirsch 24) This means that some things may cohere in some but not all contexts. Overall, there are strengths and weaknesses to every type of literary criticism, but used together they could be more useful in interpreting a work of literature.