New Historicism

Following Clifford Geertz and other cultural anthropologists, the New Historicist critics have evolved a method for describing culture in action. Their "thick descriptions" seize upon an event or anecdote--colonist John Rolfe''s conversation with Pocohontas''s father, a note found among Nietzsche''s papers to the effect that "I have lost my umbrella"--and re-read it to reveal through the analysis ...