Editing Formalism (philosophy) (section)

==Criticism==
In general in the study of the arts and literature, ''formalism'' refers to the style of criticism that focuses on artistic or literary techniques in themselves, in separation from the work's social and historical context. 

===Art criticism===
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Generally speaking, formalism is the concept which everything necessary in a work of art is contained within it. The context for the work, including the reason for its creation, the historical background, and the life of the artist, is not considered to be significant. Examples of formalist aestheticians are [[Clive Bell]], [[Jerome Stolnitz]], and [[Edward Bullough]].

===Literary criticism===
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In contemporary discussions of [[literary theory]], the school of criticism of [[I. A. Richards]] and his followers, traditionally the [[New Criticism]], has sometimes been labelled 'formalist'. The formalist approach, in this sense, is a continuation of aspects of classical [[rhetoric]]. 

[[Russian formalism]] was a twentieth century school, based in Eastern Europe, with roots in linguistic studies and also theorising on [[fairy tale]]s, in which content is taken as secondary since the tale 'is' the form, the princess 'is' the fairy-tale princess.