1. The Basics of Criticism
Literary Theories
The Basics of Criticism

2. The Basic Idea
The point of criticism is to argue your point of view on a work of literature.
You don’t have to “criticize” a text (but you can)
You do have to analyze a text and support your assertions with specific evidence from experts and the text.

3. The Basic Idea
A critical analysis is an in-depth examination of some aspect of the literary work
you may examine any element of the text: character development, conflicts, narrative point of view, etc.
Even though it’s an examination of a literary work, it’s still a persuasive essay

4. The Basic Idea The goal is to prove something about the work
There must be a point to the discussion.
You must answer the questions Why?, or So what?
For example, why is a recurring symbol important? Or, why is the development of the female characters significant?

5. The Basic Idea
There are many different approaches we can take to critical analysis
Literary theories provide a framework for our discussion of a text
We don’t have to identify the theory we’re using, though.
We use it as a starting point for our own ideas and opinions

6. Historical/Biographical Approach
views literature as the reflection of an author's life and times (or of the characters' life and times).
it is necessary to know about the author and the political, economical, and sociological context of his times in order to truly understand his works.

7. Historical/Biographical Approach
Advantages:
works well for some which are obviously political or biographical in nature.
places allusions in their proper classical, political, or biblical background.
Disadvantages:
"the intentional fallacy" 
tends to reduce art to the level of biography and make it relative (to the times) rather than universal.

8. Application
What are some historical or biographical elements we might examine in a discussion of our current novel?

9. Moral / Philosophical Approach:
asserts that the larger purpose of literature is to teach morality and to probe philosophical issues
authors intend to instruct the audience in some way

10. Moral / Philosophical Approach:
Advantages:
useful for works which do present an obvious moral philosophy
useful when considering the themes of works
does not view literature merely as "art" isolated from all moral implications
recognizes that literature can affect readers and that the message of a work is important.

11. Moral / Philosophical Approach:
Disadvantages:
such an approach can be too "judgmental" 
Some believe literature should be judged primarily (if not solely) on its artistic merits, not its moral or philosophical content.

12. Application
What are some moral or philosophical elements we might examine in a discussion of our current novel?

13. Formalism / New Criticism
involves a close reading of the text
all information essential to the interpretation of a work must be found within the work itself
focuses on analyzing irony, paradox, imagery, and metaphor
also interested in the work's setting, characters, symbols, and point of view.

14. Formalism / New Criticism
no need to bring in outside information about the history, politics, or society of the time, or about the author's life
does not view works through the lens of feminism, psychology, mythology, or any other such standpoint
not interested in the work's affect on the reader.

15. Formalism / New Criticism
Terms Used in New Criticism:
intentional fallacy - the false belief that the meaning or value of a work may be determined by the author's intention
affective fallacy - the false belief that the meaning or value of a work may be determined by its affect on the reader
external form - rhyme scheme, meter, stanza form, etc.

16. Formalism / New Criticism
Advantages:
can be performed without much research
emphasizes the value of literature apart from its context
virtually all critical approaches must begin here
Disadvantages:
text is seen in isolation
ignores the context of the work
cannot account for allusions

17. Application
What are some formal elements we might examine in a discussion of our current novel?

18. Psychoanalytical Approach
views works through the lens of psychology
looks either at the psychological motivations of the characters or of the authors themselves
most frequently applies Freudian psychology to works, but other approaches also exist.

19. Freudian Approach to Personality
Three parts to an individual’s psyche:
the id: the instinctual, pleasure seeking part of the mind
the superego: the part of the mind that represses the id's impulses
the ego: the part of the mind that controls but does not repress the id's impulses, releasing them in a healthy way

20. Sex is Everything
Freud believed that all human behavior is motivated by sexuality
Oedipus complex: a boy's unconscious rivalry with his father for the love of his mother
Electra complex: a girl’s unconscious rivalry with her mother for the love of her father (a.k.a. “daddy issues”)

21. Freudian Imagery Recognizes symbols that are linked to sexual pleasure
concave images, such as ponds, flowers, cups, and caves as female symbols
phallic symbols, objects that are longer than they are wide, are male images
dancing, riding, and flying are associated with sexual pleasure
water is usually associated with birth, the female principle, the maternal, the womb, and the death wish.

22. Psychoanalytical Approach
Advantages:
can be a useful tool for understanding character development and conflict
Disadvantages:
can turn a work into a psychological case study
tends to see sex in everything, exaggerating this aspect of literature
some works do not lend themselves readily to this approach.

23. Application
What are some psychological or psychoanalytical elements we might examine in a discussion of our current novel?

24. Archetypal Approach
assumes that there is a collection of symbols, images, characters, and motifs (i.e. archetypes) that evokes basically the same response in all people
identifies these patterns and discusses how they function in the works
asserts that these archetypes are the source of much of literature's power.

25. Archetypal Approach based on the theories of psychologist Carl Jung
he states that mankind possesses a "collective unconscious" that contains these archetypes and that is common to all of humanity

26. Some Archetypes
archetypal women - the Good Wife/Mother, the Terrible Mother, the Virgin (often a Damsel in Distress), and the Fallen Woman.
water - creation, birth-death-resurrection, purification, redemption, fertility, growth
garden - paradise (Eden), innocence, fertility
desert - spiritual emptiness, death, hopelessness
red - blood, sacrifice, passion, disorder
green - growth, fertility
black - chaos, death, evil
serpent - evil, sensuality, mystery, wisdom, destruction
seven - perfection
hero archetype -  The hero is involved in a quest (in which he overcomes obstacles). He experiences initiation (involving a separation, transformation, and return), and finally he serves as a scapegoat, that is, he dies to atone.

27. Archetypal Approach Advantages:
provides a universalistic approach to literature and identifies a reason why certain literature may survive the test of time
it works well with works that are highly symbolic
Disadvantages:
literature may become a vehicle for archetypes
can easily become a list of symbols without much analysis

28. Application
What are some archetypal elements we might examine in a discussion of our current novel?

29. Feminist Approach
concerned with the roles of female characters within works
may argue that gender determines everything, or just the opposite: that all gender differences are imposed by society, and gender determines nothing

30. Stages of Female Identity
Feminine: the female accepts the definitions and roles male authorities have created for her
Feminist: rebels against male authority and intentionally challenges all male definitions and roles
Female: no longer concerned with male definitions or restrictions; defines her own voice and values

31. The Mad-Woman in the Attic
Critics Gilbert and Gubar identify a pattern in the treatment of female characters in literature, even when written by women.
based on the plot of Jane Eyre
the practice of removing a female character who is no longer useful to the male characters

32. Application
What are some gender-based elements we might examine in a discussion of our current novel?

33. Marxist Approach
Karl Marx perceived human history to have consisted of a series of struggles between classes--between the oppressed and the oppressing (“the haves” and “the have-nots”).
Marx thought that materialism was the ultimate driving force in history

34. Marxist Approach Feudalism exploits workers to the point of revolt
This leads to bourgeois capitalism
In bourgeois capitalism, the privileged bourgeoisie rely on the working proletariat
Workers are exploited to the point of revolt

35. Marxist Approach
The successful working class will then establish a communist society
In this ideal the labor, the means of production, and the profits are shared by all
This system is an attempt at complete social and economic equality
It’s a great theory but doesn’t work in reality

36. Marxist Approach
Marxist criticism examines the nature of power structures within a novel.
It asks questions like: Who has power? Who lacks power? Who is exploited by whom and why? How does power remain constant or shift throughout a work of literature? What makes certain characters powerful or powerless?

37. Marxist Approach
It also examines commodities, possessions that give power
Typical commodities are things like land and money but can also be things like social position, knowledge, or even a person
Marxist criticism can also examine what commodities bring power and why within a work of literature

38. Application Who is in power within the novel?
What commodities does that character possess that allows him/her to have power?
How does power shift or remain static throughout the novel?

39. Reader Response Criticism
analyzes the reader's role in the production of meaning
lies at the opposite end of the spectrum from formalism
the text itself has no meaning until it is read by a reader
The reader creates the meaning.
can take into account the strategies employed by the author to elicit a certain response from readers
denies the possibility that works are universal (i.e. that they will always mean more or less the same thing to readers everywhere)
makes someone's reading a function of personal identity.

40. Reader Response Criticism
Advantages:
recognizes that different people view works differently and that people's interpretations change over time.
Disadvantages:
tends to make interpretation too subjective
does not provide adequate criteria for evaluating one reading in comparison to another

41. Application What are your personal responses to this novel?
Are there certain elements you respond to strongly or with which you identify?