David Daiches discusses literary criticism and its history. In comparing models of literary criticism he refers to traditional approaches, deconstruction, and feminist and black writing. He stresses the importance of understanding the historical context and the language of time and place–the “nature” of words–when approaching a work of literature.
At the time of the interview, Daiches, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1987-88) and a retired professor of English at the University of Sussex, was working on a study of the influence of the Scottish Enlightenment on the founders of the United States.
This episode of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
