To Select and Evaluate : Czech Literary Criticism in the Era of Normalization

Abstract

The monograph applies the concept of politics of interpretation upon the material of Czech literary criticism of the journalistic type in 1970s and 1980s. eventually broadening the scope to incorporate the strategies of book publishing. The analysis is based on rhetorical, discursive, and textual strategies as results of political motivations of the agents of literary criticism and book publishing.

Rhetorical modes and speecg games used allow to draw raher coherent set of rules used generally within the given era. The monograph specifies these rules as self-stylizations, tabuisation norm, negotiation and resignification.

Keywords

• evaluative literary criticism
• normalization era
• rhetoric
• speech games
• resignification