"I was trained in the '50s as a New Critic. I remember what literature was like before the New Critics, when people stood up and talked about Shelley's soul and such things"

This quote by Clifford Geertz reflects on the modifications in literary criticism that happened in the 1950s. Geertz was trained as a New Critic, which was a school of idea that concentrated on close readings of texts and the analysis of literary devices. This was a plain contrast to the traditional approach of discussing the author's soul and other abstract concepts. Geertz is suggesting that the New Criticism was a more efficient method of evaluating literature, as it focused on the text itself instead of the author's intentions. This shift in literary criticism was a major advancement in the 1950s, and Geertz is assessing the changes that took place during this time.