The Confusion of Literary Criticism in the Age of Social Networks

Sharjah: “The Gulf”

In a day when sober critical writings covered the sky of literature and flowed like an unceasing river flowing through cultural life, creative life shone in the light of words, no poet, storyteller or novelist could rest on its soft banks. This is what the hand of criticism reaches out to him and says what he has to say, but in the age of social communication, literary criticism has fallen asleep, and it is far from circulation – the indicators indicate. As an arena of literary thought, there is no real monetary reward for the work writers produce, so what is the secret of its absence in the world of criticism? Why doesn't he have a position in life in the serious way he did in the past? The critic's pen is the golden seal of creative works in his decisive tone.

Criticism nowadays has become a painkiller in the eyes of many intellectuals because it does not touch the spirit of creativity and does not reveal its essence, which raises a serious question about the place and status of criticism. Our current time? Especially in the era of digital upheaval and social networking sites, criticism thrives not only on a radical culture, but also on the culture of those sites and the literature they generate and the hastily woven critical writings around them. In some cases light, and in many cases without vision.

In the following lines, we explore the views of writers, critics and authors on the reasons why literary criticism is light and why it is almost disappearing in this accelerated era of digital transformation. An open space, the end of which no one knows.

Parade

Reviewer Dr. Haitham al-Khawaja says: “It is self-evident that criticism goes hand in hand with creativity, but the problem is that the culture of criticism has not penetrated the nerves and settled in the hearts among some, especially in this period. . Some people say that the work of the critic is to appreciate, and the fact of the matter is that the critic is creative.” The other is for literary work. , because it endures a lot of effort to reconstruct the text and highlight its positive aspects. There is no harm in the critic pointing out some of the negatives that contribute to improving the author's honest journey.

He adds: “Fair and fair criticism aims to develop and improve creativity. Therefore, it is of great importance, and its absence diminishes the value of the poems, short stories and novels of culture,” pointing out that criticism is also needed to fulfill its assigned function; This requires strategies adopted by media organizations such as newspapers and magazines, which no longer attract critics. Therefore, the critic sometimes feels that there is an environment that is repulsive to him, which forces him to withdraw from his critical work, knowing that encouraging a fair critic pushes the process of creativity forward, and accepting criticism from creative people is discouraged. The critic continues and gives, and he finds that in this context the true dialectic is that many attack the critic without acknowledging the criticism; If his talk of literary work is negative; Because it points out flaws and errors and points out that the continuation of criticism in this period is undeniable. True criticism understands the process of development in the framework of literature and cannot expand it. A hostile environment has – for now – reduced publishing venues and put critical writing in a circle of neglect.

He explains that criticism can benefit from modern technological developments in establishing other roots; Technology has changed in both literary creation and criticism. But if you write a few lines about literary creativity on social media and call it criticism, it is something that no one can accept.. another thing. There is a difference between academic criticism and journalistic impressionism, and there is no doubt that true criticism is a thorough treatment of a literary work and ultimately a balanced assessment of it.

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Poet Ahmad al-Madrushi asserts that true criticism grasps the neck of literary works and gives its good orders. Throughout its history, this criticism has interpreted many forms of literature and provided another justification with its visions without personal preferences. We lack these days. Aesthetic criticism in the field of creativity is no longer distributed in literary catalogs, and the reasons for its absence are almost unknown. We no longer find critics imitating poets, novelists, short story writers and independent literary writers. Despite the well-known names, despite a cultural life crowded with literary publications of their individuality and presence, the scene has become gray and foggy. or ambiguous, reflecting a great disillusionment with the world. The wider context of literature suggests that he does not claim that criticism has completely disappeared from contemporary life, but that it is on the way to dissolution if not. Finding one to retrieve its echoes from the memory of contemporary literature, especially since critical drama has become strange these days with the writings it deals with, Western literature or the biographies of late writers and poets in our Arab world, as today's literary life has been emptied of rich writings, is the time when the language of literature communicates through a new medium. , it's social interaction that embraces new writers and ignores its surroundings. Writers, it has become a haven for introducing literature, but criticism is not from it either, perhaps because the burden of literature that these sites cover is low, and in many cases does not enrich or satisfy it, which removes the critical tool. This digital structure, but Al Madrushi sees a disconnect. In all cases the truth with criticism, and its tool is not updated, and except for a small number, currently cannot be creatively true critics.

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Literary critic and researcher Muhammad Noor El-Din recognized that the absence of criticism negatively affects creators, emptying the long-term memory of creativity and what circulates in cultural life such as the poem, story, and novel. The reduction of space for critics in newspapers contributed to the disappearance and later loss of the critical apparatus. Read creativity in general because of the appetite for writing, especially because the critic is the arbiter of literary works because of his insight, awareness and ability, and this critic needs an environment that prepares him for dissemination, and newspapers are one of the most important outlets. were. are closed, financial incentives are limited, and publishing venues are almost non-existent except for a few periodicals specializing in cultural journalism.In addition, although universities annually empty a sufficient number of academic specialists, talent in criticism has become de facto. Rarely, many of those working in this profession no longer work to arm themselves with modern approaches to criticism. Therefore, the tool of criticism has not developed and kept pace with literary creativity in this era, and in this way calls for regret the decay of criticism and its impotence in the sky of creativity, especially since we are in a time of intellectual revolutions linked to the electronic leap. Social networking sites have become a passion for writers, many of whom tend to promote their literature, on the other hand, there is a fact to mention; Criticism, with its broad scope, has so far refrained from finding a place on the social media map because it is not renewed on the one hand, and because it is difficult to engage in serious critical writing on the other. They express themselves through these platforms because they feel they are bigger than themselves.

Practice

Abdullah Al Gabi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Publishers Association, explains that literary criticism is now moving towards experimentation and no longer has a firm foundation. The process of issuing judgments on literary works, which has had a negative impact on the critical process, contemporary and visual is now suffering from the poverty of criticism, except for the mercy of my Lord, which has created a state of criticism that is now undesirable. Al-Kaabi criticism to rise again – in light of the creative boom in literature and other booms associated with technological development – He believes it needs an umbrella. Jadita is not satisfied with giving gifts. Contests for critics, but by establishing a good foundation for this science, they can spread widely by attracting real talents and giving them places in all its ways in the media. The Arab world has been experiencing a real crisis in the field of criticism for many years, and in this era the methods of critical tools have become similar to those of ancient texts, while the language of Arabic literature in poetry, stories and novels has risen far from the familiar, and in the other way, it is an understanding of the horizon of literature and its phenomena. Critical movement is required, which in this era is freed from ready-made templates.

Al-Kaabi pointed out that the reluctance of cultural institutions to publish the writings of critics cannot be attributed to the weakness of the critical apparatus, and that some critics' insistence on this matter is empty talk. It has been customary since ancient times that the intelligent critic was behind every literary work. He can give his opinion anywhere and in any way, but nowadays we talk a lot theoretically about the development of criticism. We hope to return to the literary environment – with a new sense – without finding the reasons for the decline, without placing the reasons for the illogicality in our own hands. It is worth noting that Arabic literature is currently experiencing an unprecedented critical foreignness, and all available technological means must be invested in order for criticism to gain a place in the era of artificial intelligence and to make great strides in digital literature. In such a way as not to weaken the dignity of criticism, its seriousness and neutrality.

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Researcher and critic Dr. Wada Hamdan Al-Gharibi said that the tool of criticism has become associated with the renewal movement in Arabic literature. At this time, we are faced with new literary formulas, structures and methods. The existence of academic aesthetic criticism capable of dealing with the creation of poets and writers, works characterized by attractiveness in many aspects and having achieved a firm presence in cultural reality, indicates that there are other literary styles that have not been touched. Creativity in anything, confusion in approach, inability to rise to the sky of creativity, but the difference in the language of literature is between strength and weakness, it must be recognized that another scene develops on the beach. Contemporary literary life has other aesthetics of its own, which must be touched by a thoughtful critical spirit matched in strength and beauty. Criticism cannot turn a blind eye to the loud tone now crystallized by the unique literary language. directions. On the other hand, Dr. Wada al-Gharibi believes that the current critical inertia must face serious incentives to return to its original base and absorb the aesthetics of the era.