The Historical Development of the Sociological Approach to the Study of Literature

The sociological approach to the study of literature has long and distinguished history. The several critics and scholars from Plato down to the present have discussed the different theories of sociological approach to literature. They believed in the simple conviction that literature is a social product, and thoughts and feelings found in literature are conditioned and shaped by the cultural life created by the society. The early critics did not doubt the reciprocal relationship between literature and society. Plato, who started th