How can we best distinguish between literary criticism and literary theory?

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Literary criticism focuses solely on interpreting the meaning of a text, whereas literary theory deals exclusively with the text's structure.Literary criticism relies on external research beyond literature, while literary theory depends on internal textual analysis.Literary theory involves the approach or framework for interpreting a text, whereas literary criticism is the practical use of that theory.Every statement listed above is accurate.

Explanation

Option A suggests literary criticism only interprets meaning and theory only examines structure, which is an oversimplification. Option B incorrectly assigns external research solely to criticism and internal analysis solely to theory. Option C correctly identifies literary theory as the interpretive framework, with literary criticism being its application. Option D is incorrect because not all previous statements are fully accurate.