The affective fallacy, a term coined by W.K. Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsley, refers to the critical error of judging a poem’s meaning or value based primarily on its emotional effect on the reader rather than on its textual, structural, or linguistic properties; while acknowledging that poetry evokes feeling, the concept warns against conflating subjective response with objective interpretation, arguing that a poem’s success lies in its internal coherence and craft, not in whether it makes the reader weep, laugh, or feel uplifted, thus advocating for a more disciplined, text-centered approach to literary analysis.

New Critical concept warning against judging poetry solely by emotional response. Coined by Wimsatt and Beardsley (1949). Contrast with intentional fallacy. Focus on text itself, not reader's feelings.