affective fallacy

affective fallacy, according to the followers of New Criticism, the misconception that arises from judging a poem by the emotional effect that it produces in the reader. The concept of affective fallacy is a direct attack on impressionistic criticism, which argues that the reader’s response to a poem is the ultimate indication of its value.

Those who support the affective criterion for judging poetry cite its long and respectable history, beginning with Aristotle’s dictum that the purpose of tragedy is to evoke “terror and pity.” Edgar Allan Poe stated that “a poem deserves its title only inasmuch as it excites, by elevating the soul.” Emily Dickinson said, “If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” Many modern critics continue to assert that emotional communication and response cannot be separated from the evaluation of a poem. See also New Criticism.