Northrop Frye (1912-1991), Canadian, was an influential literary critic and scholar. Frye’s major works include Fearful Symmetry (1947), a study of William Blake; Anatomy of Criticism(1957), where Frye defines and describes his literary theories; The Educated Imagination (1963), a discussion of the social role of art intended for a general audience; and The Great Code (1982) and Words with Power (1990), in which Frye applies his literary theories to The Bible.
In Anatomy of Criticism (1957), Frye seeks to establish literary criticism as a discipline independent of other fields of inquiry, with its own critical principles, rather than accepting the practice of implementing theories from other disciplines like sociology, philosophy, psychology, politics, or theology. Frye’s literary theory focuses on the structures of literature and asserts that even realistic works are less founded on reality...
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Citation: Dobson, Darrell. "Northrop Frye". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 May 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1648, accessed 08 December 2025.]
