CARS Subject Matter Study
A Breakdown of Passage 2 from Official CARS Question Pack 1
Introduction
This passage presents a defense of formalist literary criticism - an approach that focuses on analyzing literary works as self-contained objects rather than as products of their authors' lives or as vehicles for reader response. The author systematically addresses and dismantles common objections to this approach while acknowledging their superficial appeal.
The passage's structure mirrors scientific argumentation: it presents counterarguments, acknowledges their partial validity, but demonstrates why they don't ultimately undermine the formalist approach. Just as a biochemist might focus on a molecule's structure and function independent of its discovery history or social impact, the formalist critic examines literary works as autonomous entities. This analytical approach may initially seem foreign to MCAT students, but it parallels the scientific method's emphasis on objective analysis of observable phenomena rather than historical context or subjective response.