Does anyone still read this stuff?
New Historicism isn’t quite as much the rage as it was in the 1980s, when it was as hot as swatches and never washing your hair so it would frizz out Madonna-style. Today there’s a sense that, well, maybe you should try shampoo.
Even if New Historicism’s heyday is past, the fact of the matter is that it did change our approach to the study of literature. The New Historicists basically made it cool for us to go and dig up all kinds of interesting historical and cultural facts in order to understand a work of literature better. That was a big no-no in the time of New Criticism (and they didn’t even wear swatches yet—I mean, come on).
The New Historicists also made it acceptable for us to look at the relationship between literature and social, political, and economic forces. They insisted that all art—including “high” literature—is implicated in power structures. This interdisciplinary approach to the study of literature was hugely influential. Today, having an interdisciplinary approach to literary studies is considered “sexy.” And that’s thanks in no small part to the New Historicists.