Literary criticism is the study and evaluation of literature. Depending on your assignment, you may be looking for information about a particular work, author, or themes from the text. Use the library's print and electronic resources to find literary criticism on short stories, poems, or books.
Take a look at the examples below to discuss Book Reviews vs Literary Criticism:
Book Reviews
Book reviews:
Give a brief overview of the plot followed by a surface viewpoint about the book.
Short in length and discuss their opinion of the book, not themes or close examinations of the story.
Written for a general, non-academic audience. Often uses "I" statements ("I enjoyed the book", "I appreciated this", etc.).
Below is a sample book review about Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing:
Literary Criticism
Literary criticism:
Give a brief overview of the plot followed by a close examination of the themes in the story.
Longer in length; often makes comparisons and references to other books and articles about similar topics.
Written for an academic audience in a formal, third-person style.
