▁a ▁common ▁subject ▁to ▁the ▁level ▁of ▁the ▁sub lime . ▁German ▁Rom antic ism , ▁which ▁followed ▁closely ▁after ▁the ▁late ▁development ▁of ▁German ▁classic ism , ▁emphas ized ▁an ▁a est h etic ▁of ▁fragment ation ▁that ▁can ▁appear ▁start ling ly ▁modern ▁to ▁the ▁reader ▁of ▁English ▁literature , ▁and ▁val ued ▁W itz ▁– ▁that ▁is , ▁" w it " ▁or ▁" hum or " ▁of ▁a ▁certain ▁sort ▁– ▁more ▁highly ▁than ▁the ▁serious ▁Ang lo phone ▁Rom antic ism . ▁The ▁late ▁nin ete enth ▁century ▁brought ▁ren own ▁to ▁authors ▁known ▁more ▁for ▁their ▁literary ▁criticism ▁than ▁for ▁their ▁own ▁literary ▁work , ▁such ▁as ▁Matthew ▁Arnold . ▁ ▁The ▁New ▁Crit ic ism ▁ ▁However ▁important ▁all ▁of ▁these ▁a est h etic ▁movements ▁were ▁as ▁ante ced ents , ▁current ▁ideas ▁about ▁literary ▁criticism ▁derive ▁almost ▁entirely ▁from ▁the ▁new ▁direction ▁taken ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁tw enti eth ▁century . ▁Early ▁in ▁the ▁century ▁the ▁school ▁of ▁criticism ▁known ▁as ▁Russian ▁F ormal ism , ▁and ▁slightly ▁later ▁the ▁New ▁Crit ic ism ▁in ▁Britain ▁and ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁came ▁to ▁domin ate ▁the ▁study ▁and ▁discussion ▁of ▁literature , ▁in ▁the ▁English - spe aking ▁world . ▁Both ▁schools ▁emphas ized ▁the ▁close ▁reading ▁of ▁texts , ▁elev ating ▁it ▁far ▁above ▁general izing ▁discussion ▁and ▁spec ulation ▁about ▁either ▁author ial ▁intention ▁( to ▁say ▁nothing ▁of ▁the ▁author ' s ▁psych ology ▁or ▁bi ography , ▁which ▁became