Britannica AI Icon

Monroe Curtis Beardsley

American critic

Quick Summary

Monroe Curtis Beardsley was an American critic known for his significant contributions to literary criticism and aesthetics. He, along with W.K. Wimsatt, is credited with developing the concept of the intentional fallacy, arguing that a work of art should be interpreted based on the work itself, not the artist's intentions. Beardsley's work emphasized the importance of analyzing the aesthetic object and its inherent meanings. He was associated with the New Criticism movement, which focused on close reading and the intrinsic qualities of a literary text, often advocating for art as an end in itself (autotelism).123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.