Glorious heretics: Literary criticism, heresy, and community

Scope of study. This study sought to apply a sociological model of heresy and orthodoxy to the field of literary criticism to determine if the rhetoric mirrored that of other heresy and orthodoxy debates in institutions. The study looked at Milton and Shakespeare scholarship as the basis for this examination. In particular the schools of New Criticism, Feminist Theory, New Historicism, Deconstruction, and Performance Theory were scrutinized.;Findings and conclusion. While the model does describe in part the debates in literary criticism, English studies tend to reward heresy over orthodoxy as a strategy for power in the academic institution. As a result, criticism tends to indulge in innovation for its own sake, often to the detriment of the institution as a whole. The reasonable alternative to heresy is community where standards for the good of the entire institution are set and pursued. Community offers a sense of purpose and direction for English scholarship that heresy cannot. The future health of literary criticism demands a move toward community and away from heresy.