Wimsatt & Beardsley

Wimsatt and Beardsley, literary critics from the 1940s, argued that the meaning of a poem or literary work primarily lies in the text itself, not in the author's intentions or the reader’s interpretation. They believed that a work's value and significance come from the words and their intrinsic connections, emphasizing the importance of analyzing the work independently of external factors. This approach encourages focusing on the language, structure, and symbolism within the text, fostering an objective way of studying literature that respects its standalone artistry.