Liberal Humanism

Liberal Humanism refers to a set of values and attitudes about the relationship of the
individual to the outside world. Many of the concepts that seem fundamental to human
existence that emerged from the Enlightenment—briefly summarized in the Declaration
of Independence as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"—are expressions of what
has come to be known as liberal humanism.

In the context of literary texts or poetry, a liberal humanist reading would embrace the
following precepts:

1. Literature is timeless and transcends its historical context (that is, it is intrinsically
valuable and fundamentally ahistorical)
2. It is self-contained; a reader doesn't have to look to outside material to understand its
meaning;
3. It should be read in isolation from other material
4. Human nature is essentially unchanged; people today have the same feelings and desires
as people from hundreds or thousands of years ago
5. People are individuals and that individuality can be defined as our "essence"
6. The purpose of literature is to preserve or enhance these essential values, in a subtle
way
7. The form and content should be organically linked, that is, the structure of the poem
(meter and rhyme, stanzas and line breaks, etc.) should enhance the meaning
8. It should be true or real or genuine; that is, it should articulate a truth in a new and direct
way that avoids cliché
9. It should show rather than tell
10. The role of the critic is to help the reader unlock the true meaning of the piece.

So, in brief, a liberal humanist reading of a poem would involve a close reading of the
text in an attempt to understand its "universal truth"—in other words, that which is
revealed by the essential humanity shared by reader and writer.

See Peter Barry, Beginning Theory (Oxford UP, 2013)

Liberal humanism is a literary theory that was popular at the end of the 1800's and
beginning 1900's. Liberal humanism understands literature/poetry to be timeless. It
must reveal a constant or universal truth about humanity. Also, it contains meaning
without regard to other works. Liberal humanists analyze the text of a poem with no
predetermined ideas or bias. Therefore a Marxist or Feminist could not in fairness call
themselves a liberal humanist. Liberal humanists attempt to understand the individual's
identity by excluding environmental circumstances. Additionally, the content of a poem
is seen as a product of form, e.g. e.e. Cummings’ poems are a product of his artistic
style. Finally, liberal humanists view poetry and literature as an artistic celebration that
elevates humanity.

In order to analyze a poem using the liberal humanism approach, follow these
guidelines:

1. Find the poem's universal truth

2. Analyze the text with no bias

3. Look for the individual's identity

4. Understand that content follows form