▁the ▁dominant ▁form ▁of ▁bib lic al ▁criticism ▁in ▁a ▁relatively ▁short ▁period ▁of ▁about ▁thirty ▁years . ▁New ▁Testament ▁scholar ▁Paul ▁R . ▁House ▁says ▁the ▁discipline ▁of ▁lingu istics , ▁new ▁views ▁of ▁histor i ography , ▁and ▁the ▁decl ine ▁of ▁older ▁methods ▁of ▁criticism ▁opened ▁the ▁door ▁for ▁literary ▁criticism . ▁In ▁ 1 9 5 7 ▁literary ▁critic ▁North rop ▁F ry e ▁wrote ▁an ▁analysis ▁of ▁the ▁Bible ▁from ▁the ▁perspective ▁of ▁his ▁literary ▁background ▁that ▁used ▁literary ▁criticism ▁to ▁understand ▁the ▁Bible ▁forms . ▁It ▁became ▁influ ential ▁in ▁moving ▁bib lic al ▁criticism ▁from ▁a ▁historical ▁to ▁a ▁literary ▁focus . ▁ ▁By ▁ 1 9 7 4 , ▁the ▁two ▁method ologies ▁being ▁used ▁in ▁literary ▁criticism ▁were ▁r het or ical ▁analysis ▁and ▁struct ural ism . ▁Rh et or ical ▁analysis ▁div ides ▁a ▁passage ▁into ▁units , ▁obser ves ▁how ▁a ▁single ▁unit ▁sh ifts ▁or ▁breaks , ▁taking ▁special ▁note ▁of ▁po etic ▁devices , ▁meter , ▁parallel ism , ▁word ▁play ▁and ▁so ▁on . ▁It ▁then ▁charts ▁the ▁writer ' s ▁thought ▁pro gression ▁from ▁one ▁unit ▁to ▁the ▁next , ▁and ▁finally , ▁assemb les ▁the ▁data ▁in ▁an ▁attempt ▁to ▁explain ▁the ▁author ' s ▁intent ions ▁behind ▁the ▁piece . ▁Struct ural ism ▁looks ▁at ▁the ▁language ▁to ▁disc ern ▁" layers ▁of ▁meaning " ▁with ▁the ▁goal ▁of ▁un cover ing ▁a ▁work ' s ▁" deep ▁structures ": ▁the ▁prem ises ▁as ▁well