The Verbal Icon

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Verbal Icon
• Author: W. K. Wimsatt, Jr., and Monroe C. Beardsley
• ISBN-13: 9789367210024
• Pages: 260
• Edition: First Edition (2026)
• Binding: Paperback
• Genre: Literary Criticism > Literary Theory > New Criticism > Poetry & Aesthetics
• Recommended Age Group: 18+
• Reading Difficulty: Advanced
• Estimated Reading Time to Finish: 8–10 hours
• Price: ₹345.00/-

Description

The Verbal Icon by W. K. Wimsatt, Jr., and Monroe C. Beardsley is a landmark work of twentieth-century literary criticism and a foundational text in the study of New Criticism. Bringing together essays that shaped modern approaches to poetry, interpretation, and aesthetic judgment, the book argues for close attention to the literary work itself—its language, structure, imagery, irony, rhythm, and formal unity. Rather than treating a poem merely as a reflection of biography, emotion, or historical circumstance, Wimsatt and Beardsley insist on the autonomy of the text and the disciplined practice of critical reading.

The volume is especially known for its influential discussions of the “intentional fallacy” and the “affective fallacy,” concepts that continue to inform debates about authorial intention, reader response, and the proper basis of literary interpretation. Through rigorous argument and careful examples, the authors examine how meaning is created within the verbal structure of a poem and how criticism can remain both analytical and sensitive to artistic complexity.

This edition is well suited for students, teachers, researchers, and serious readers of literature who wish to understand the principles behind close reading and formalist criticism. Clear in purpose yet intellectually demanding, The Verbal Icon remains essential for courses in literary theory, poetry studies, aesthetics, and criticism. It offers readers a disciplined framework for approaching literature as crafted verbal art, where meaning emerges through the intricate relationship between form, language, and interpretation.

Key Features

• Foundational text in New Criticism and literary theory.
• Explores the autonomy of the literary work.
• Includes key ideas on intentional and affective fallacies.
• Supports close reading of poetry and literary form.
• Useful for students, teachers, and researchers.
• Examines meaning through language, structure, and irony.
• Ideal for literary criticism and aesthetics courses.
• Encourages disciplined textual interpretation.
• Valuable for advanced English literature study.
• Important reference for poetry and theory readers.

Manufacturer Details

• Manufacturer: Doaba Corporation
• Imprint: Doaba Publications
• Email: care@doababooks.com
• Address: 4551-16, Shanti Mohan House, 16 Ansari Road, Daryaganj - 110002
• Published by: Aumram Publications
• For and on behalf of: Doaba Publications
• Typeset at: Doaba Graphics, Delhi
• Printed and Bound in: India
• Year: 2026