Critics of literary theory often point to its tendency to prioritize abstract philosophical frameworks over the text itself, the requirement for interdisciplinary knowledge that can alienate general readers, and the often dense, jargon-heavy prose that makes theoretical texts inaccessible. These factors lead to the argument that theory can sometimes distract from the aesthetic experience of literature.

The Cambridge School, often associated with figures like I.A. Richards and F.R. Leavis, focused on practical criticism and close reading. While their influence began earlier, the specific academic movement and its institutionalized critical methodologies gained significant traction and broader recognition in the 1960s.

The approach described is characteristic of Formalism or New Criticism. Formalist critics prioritize the 'text itself,' examining how literary devices such as metaphors, similes, and structure create meaning within the work, intentionally excluding external factors like the author's life, historical context, or the reader's personal emotional response to the text.

Literary theory is the systematic study of the nature of literature and the methods for analyzing it. It provides the conceptual frameworks and philosophical tools necessary to interpret texts, moving beyond subjective evaluation or biographical inquiry to explore the underlying principles, structures, and cultural functions that define how literature is produced, read, and understood.

The 'intentional fallacy' is a concept introduced by W.K. Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsley. It argues that an author's stated intention or design is irrelevant to the interpretation of a literary work. According to this view, the text should be analyzed as an autonomous object, and the meaning should be derived solely from the words on the page rather than external biographical or historical evidence regarding the author's purpose.

Literary theory provides the conceptual framework, tools, and methodologies used to analyze texts, while literary criticism is the practical application of these theories to specific literary works. Theory asks 'how' and 'why' we read, whereas criticism engages in the actual interpretation and evaluation of a text based on those theoretical foundations.

Literary theory provides the tools to interrogate the nature, purpose, and impact of literature. It asks ontological questions about what constitutes a literary text, teleological questions about the author's intent or the necessity of creative expression, and sociological questions regarding how literature shapes, reflects, or influences the reader and society at large.

The phrase 'to make the stones stonier' is attributed to the Russian Formalist Viktor Shklovsky. It refers to the concept of 'defamiliarization' (ostranenie). The purpose of art, according to Formalists, is to disrupt our habitual, automatic perception of the world, forcing us to see familiar objects as if for the first time, thereby restoring the sensory experience of reality through the unique use of language.

New Criticism, dominant in the mid-20th century, advocated for 'close reading.' Proponents argued that a literary work should be treated as an autonomous aesthetic object, or 'verbal icon.' They believed that meaning is contained entirely within the text's formal elements—such as irony, paradox, and imagery—and that external factors like the author's biography or the historical context of the work are irrelevant to its interpretation.

The 'affective fallacy' is a term coined by W.K. Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsley in their essay 'The Affective Fallacy'. It refers to the error of judging a literary work by its emotional effect on the reader. The authors argue that criticism should focus on the objective features of the text itself, such as structure and language, rather than the subjective psychological response of the audience.