Final answer:
Literary criticism deals with the interpretation of religious texts, using various theoretical frameworks to argue for specific readings or against the interpretations of others.
Step-by-step explanation:
Literary criticism deals with questions related to the interpretation of religious texts. This field of study often involves a close reading of literary works, critique from the stance of various literary theories, or debate over other critics' interpretations. Some schools of literary criticism like New Criticism focus solely on the text itself without considering external contexts. In contrast, approaches like New Historicism place a text within its broader historical, social, and political contexts to fully understand its implications.
Literary critics employ different theoretical frameworks to develop their arguments. For instance, a feminist literary critic might analyze a text to understand how it reflects or challenges gender roles, while a reader-response critic emphasizes the unique interaction between the reader and the text to interpret meanings.