1. Literary Theories: A Sampling of Critical Lenses

2. What are Literary Theories? Literary theories were developed as a means to understand the various ways people read texts. All literary theories are lenses through which we can see texts.

3. Feminist Theory Holds that most of our literature presents a masculine—patriarchal view in which the role of women is negated or at best minimized. Sees women’s cultural identification is merely a negative object or “other” to man.

4. Feminist Theory Feminist critics attempt:  To show writers of traditional literature have ignored women and have also transmitted misguided and prejudiced views of them.  To stimulate the creation of a critical milieu that reflects a balanced view of the nature and value of women.  To recover the works of women writers of past times and encourage the publication of present women writers so that the literary canon can be expanded to recognize women as thinkers and artists.

5. Psychoanalytic Theory Freud: human mind is dual: conscious and unconscious Psychoanalytic Theory looks at motivations of characters and authors It provides a new key method to understanding characters by claiming that behavior is caused by hidden unconscious motives.

6. Psychoanalytic Theory Investigates the interaction of conscious and unconscious elements of the mind Psychoanalytic critics treat literature somewhat like information about patients in therapy Unconscious cannot speak directly and explicitly but does so through images, symbols, emblems, and metaphors Psychoanalytic critics pay attention to unconscious motives and feelings of the author and of characters depicted in work.