As Erlich points out, "It was intent upon delimiting literary scholarship from contiguous disciplines such as psychology, sociology, intellectual history, and the list theoreticians focused on the 'distinguishing features' of literature, on the artistic devices peculiar to imaginative writing" (The New Princeton Encyclopedia 1101).
În opinia lui Erlich, "s-a intenționat delimitarea cercetării literare de discipline conexe precum psihologia, sociologia, istoria gândirii, iar teoreticienii enumerați s-au axat pe caracteristicile distinctive ale literaturii, pe tehnicile artistice specifice literaturii de ficțiune” (The New Princeton Encyclopedia 1101).