The limits of theory in the face of literary art: a humanist perspective

Abstract

In keeping with the perspective of philosophers such as Ernesto Grassi and Francisco José Martín, and literature theorists such as Antoine Compagnon, Richard Freadman, and Seumas Miller, among others, I consider the humanist tradition, whether in philosophy or literary criticism, to be the expiatory goat of the scientist, rationalist, positivist mentalities and the most diverse forms of ideological radicalism coming from the main currents of literary theory that developed in the last century and which influence us to this day. I will show in the development of this essay that, although it has been stigmatized by efficient defamation work carried out by various detractors, the humanist perspective to which I refer, as long as it is reevaluated and adapted to the present conditions and demands, can be an alternative path, or at least a complementary one, to the radical specialization of literary studies, offering valuable suggestions for the exercise of journalistic criticism, and also critically dialoguing with the academic discipline of Literary Theory.