CULTURAL CRITICISM

Definition of cultural criticism

The practice of describing, interpreting, and evaluating culture. Cultural criticism makes the term culture refer to popular and classic culture. It breaks down the boundary between high and low culture, and discovers the reason why a cultural product is more valued than others
(Smith, ed., 1992: 312-313).

In its broadest terms, cultural criticism is the study of culture in all of its formsliterary, political, sociological, economic, moral, and religious. The cultural critical approach to literature is one that allows the student to open the book up and grasp a fuller understanding of the text and of all the influences that not only go into the work, but result from it, as well. In doing so, the reader also gains the ability to learn how he or she stands in contrast to the culture that is expressed from that work, and to gain insight on his or her own insight of not only that book, but the author, the culture, and the shared experience of those who interact most strongly with that author's work.

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