Defamiliarization (ostranenie) is a concept developed by Viktor Shklovsky, a Russian Formalist. It refers to the artistic technique of presenting common things in an unfamiliar or strange way to enhance perception and force the reader to look at the world anew. Shklovsky specifically cited Tolstoy’s works, including 'The Kreutzer Sonata,' as prime examples of how literature can strip away the automatism of perception.

John Crowe Ransom published his book 'The New Criticism' in 1941. This work was instrumental in defining the formalist movement in American literary criticism, which emphasized close reading and the analysis of the text as an autonomous object, independent of the author's biography or historical context.

Viktor Shklovsky was a leading figure in Russian Formalism. He is best known for his concept of 'defamiliarization' (ostranenie), which argues that the purpose of art is to make the familiar seem strange, thereby forcing the reader to perceive the world and the language of the text with renewed attention. His work shifted focus from authorial intent to the mechanics of literary form.

Eliot defined the 'objective correlative' as a formula for expressing emotion in art. Instead of stating an emotion directly, the poet provides a set of objects, a situation, or a chain of events that serve as the formula for that particular emotion, evoking it in the reader through external representation rather than subjective description.

Formalism focuses on the intrinsic properties of a text, such as structure, imagery, and syntax, rather than external historical or biographical context. By prioritizing textual evidence, formalist critics can objectively evaluate competing interpretations, allowing them to determine which reading is more consistent with the internal logic and aesthetic construction of the literary work.

T. S. Eliot introduced the concept of the 'objective correlative' in his essay 'Hamlet and His Problems' (1919). He defined it as a set of objects, a situation, or a chain of events which shall be the formula of that particular emotion, allowing the poet to evoke a specific feeling in the reader without directly stating it.

Christopher Ricks is known for his rigorous, close-reading approach to literature, often emphasizing the importance of the text itself over abstract theoretical frameworks. He has frequently criticized the tendency of modern literary theory to impose external, rigid systems onto literary works, arguing that such methods can obscure the unique aesthetic and moral qualities of the writing. He advocates for a more grounded, responsive engagement with literature.

Literary theory has faced significant critique from various scholars. Common objections include the tendency for theoretical arguments to become self-referential or circular, the detachment of high-level abstraction from the actual practice of reading literature, and the observation that some literary theories have been discarded or significantly modified by the fields (such as psychology or sociology) from which they originally borrowed their concepts.

The highest forms of art transcend mere aesthetic pleasure or technical display. Their primary purpose is to stimulate intellectual engagement, provoke deep reflection, and challenge the viewer or reader to analyze complex ideas. By engaging our cognitive faculties, art encourages us to question our perceptions and understand the world from new, multifaceted perspectives.

Formalism is a school of literary criticism that emphasizes the close reading of a text, focusing primarily on its internal structure, language, and the specific use of literary devices such as imagery, metaphor, and irony, rather than external factors like the author's biography or historical context.