I. A. Richards

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I. A. Richards

Name	I. A. Richards
Birth name
Birth date	February 26, 1893
Birth place	Sandbach, Cheshire, England
Death date	September 7, 1979
Death place	Cambridge, England
Alma mater
Occupation	Literary critic, Rhetorician, Educator
Years active
Organization
Known for
Notable works	The Meaning of Meaning, Practical Criticism, Principles of Literary Criticism
Spouse(s)
Website

Ivor Armstrong Richards (February 26, 1893 – September 7, 1979) was a prominent English literary critic, rhetorician, and educator. He is best known for his pioneering work in the field of literary criticism and his development of the New Criticism approach. Richards' theories on the interpretation of texts and the role of language in communication have had a lasting impact on both literary studies and linguistics.

Early Life and Education

I. A. Richards was born in Sandbach, Cheshire, England. He attended Clifton College and later studied at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a degree in Moral Sciences. His early education laid the foundation for his interest in the intersection of language, thought, and meaning.

Career and Contributions

Richards began his academic career at the University of Cambridge, where he collaborated with C. K. Ogden on the influential book The Meaning of Meaning (1923). This work explored the relationship between language and thought, introducing the concept of "semantic triangle" to explain how words relate to thoughts and things.

In 1929, Richards published Practical Criticism, a seminal work that introduced a new method of literary analysis. This method involved the close reading of texts without considering the author's biography or historical context, focusing instead on the text itself. This approach laid the groundwork for the New Criticism movement, which emphasized the importance of textual analysis in understanding literature.

Richards also made significant contributions to the field of rhetoric. His book The Philosophy of Rhetoric (1936) examined the role of language in persuasion and communication, arguing that effective communication depends on the interaction between the speaker, the audience, and the context.

Later Life and Legacy

In the later years of his career, Richards taught at Harvard University, where he continued to develop his theories on language and communication. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Basic English project, which aimed to simplify the English language to make it more accessible to non-native speakers.

Richards' work has had a profound influence on the study of literature and language. His emphasis on the importance of close reading and textual analysis remains a cornerstone of literary criticism today. His ideas on the relationship between language and thought have also influenced fields such as semiotics and cognitive science.

Also see

• New Criticism
• C. K. Ogden
• Basic English
• Semiotics
• Rhetoric