LITERARY CRITICISM

Traditionally, the object of criticism is to

explain that which is implicit*,
to make explicit** that which is implicit.

The literary scholar thus seeks to fill in the gaps in meaning and to expand upon the partial explanations provided by the text in order to make it whole and complete. You could also call this "interpreting" the work of literature.

In addition to these goals, more recent criticism also strives to understand the relationship of the text to its historical context and the circumstances of its production so as to more fully comprehend the text, as well as to better understand the times in which it was written and why the author wrote it.

* implicit: 1. capable of being understood from something else though unexpressed; implied, for example an implied assumption. 2. involved in the nature or essence of something though not revealed, expressed, or developed; potential. 3. deutsch: unausgesprochen

** explicit: 1. fully revealed or expressed without vagueness, implication, or ambiguity: leaving no question as to meaning or intent. Explicit implies such verbal plainness and distinctness that there is no need for inference and no room for difficulty in understanding. 2. deutsch: deutlich, klar, ausdrücklich.

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