CRITICAL APPROACHES TO LITERATURE Literary Theory

Unit Focus Questions How do we study __________? How do _________and ______ affect our perception of reality?

Critical Approaches to the Study of Literature Critical Approaches are different perspectives we consider when looking at a piece of literature. They seek to give us answers to these questions, in addition to aiding us in interpreting literature. 1. ______ do we read? 2. ______ do we read? 3. ______ do we read?

Critical Approaches to Consider 1. Reader-Response Criticism 2. Cultural Criticism 3. Psychological Criticism 4. Sociological Criticism a. Feminist/Gender Criticism b. Marxist Criticism 5. Biographical Criticism 6. Historical Criticism 7. Archetypal Criticism 8. Moralistic Criticism 9. Philosophical Criticism

Questions to Ponder for Each Theory/Approach  What are the benefits of each form of criticism?    Can the mode of criticism alter the entire meaning of a text?

1. The Reader-Response Approach Reader-Response Criticism asserts that a great deal of meaning in a text lies with how ________________ responds to it.  Focuses on the act of reading and how it affects our perception of meaning in a text (how we feel at the beginning vs. the end)  Deals more with the process of creating meaning and experiencing a text as we read.  The text is a living thing that lives in the reader’s imagination. _______________ + _______________ + __________ = MEANING

1. The Reader-Response Approach 2 Important Ideas in Reader-Response 1. An individual reader’s interpretation usually changes over time. Ever read a book more than once? How did your reading experience change when you re-read it? 2. Readers from different generations and different time periods interpret texts differently. Ever read the same book as someone much older/younger than you? How did your reading experiences differ? Ultimately… How do YOU feel about what you have read? What do YOU think it means?

Cultural Criticism Four common ideas:  Ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual identity, and so on are crucial components in formulating plausible interpretations of text.  While the emphasis is on diversity of approach and subject matter, Cultural Criticism is not the only means of understanding ourselves and our art.  An examination or exploration of the relationship between dominant cultures and dominated cultures is essential.  When looking at a text through the perspective of marginalized peoples, new understandings emerge Definition:

2. The Psychological/ Psychoanalytic Approach Psychological Criticism Definition: Key Concepts:  Based on the work of Sigmund Freud.  Focuses on the ________ motivations of literary characters  Looks at literary characters as a reflection of the writer

3. The Sociological Approach Sociological criticism definition: Key Concepts:  Focuses on the _______________ and how those views are reflected in a text  Emphasizes the economic, political, and cultural issues within literary texts  Core Belief:

3A. The Marxist Approach Marxist Criticism Definition:  It is based on the political theory of Karl Marx.  Concerned with understanding the role of _________, _________, and ___________ in literary texts.

4A. The Marxist Approach Marxist Criticism examines literature to see how it reflects 1. The way in which ______________ groups (typically, the majority) exploit the _________ groups (typically, the minority). 2. The way in which people become alienated from one another through power, money, and politics

3B. The Feminist Approach Feminist Criticism Definition:  Asserts that men have written most “literature” throughout time. “by men, for men.”  Examines the way that the female consciousness is depicted by both male and female writers.

4B. The Feminist Approach 4 Basic Principles of Feminist Criticism 1. Western civilization is _______________. 2. The concepts of gender are mainly cultural ideas created by patriarchal societies. 3. Patriarchal ideals pervade “literature.” 4. Most “literature” through history is ________.

4. The Biographical Approach Biographical Criticism Definition:

4. The Biographical Approach Three Benefits: 1. Facts about an ________________ can help a reader decide how to interpret a text. 2. A reader can better appreciate a text by knowing a writer’s struggles or difficulties in creating that text. 3. A reader can understand a writer’s preoccupation by studying the way they apply and modify their own life experiences in their works.

5. The New Historicist Approach New Historicist Criticism Definiton:

5. The New Historicist Approach New Historicism: 1. Provides background information necessary to understand how literary texts were perceived in their time. 2. Shows how literary texts reflect _______ and ________ of the time in which they were written.  New historicist critics often compare the language in contemporary documents and literary texts to reveal cultural assumptions and values in the text.

6. Archetypal Approach  Examining a text for recurring universal _________ It is also important to examine the extent the author holds true or departs from the archetype. Example: Star Wars and Harry Potter The unlikely hero The misfit companions The heroic journey

Moralistic Criticism: Moralistic Criticism Definition:  This approach acknowledges the centrality of moral problems in literature (i.e.: should Huck give up his friend Jim or shelter him?)

Philosophical Criticism: Philosophical Questions by “Topic”  Religious:  Creationism:  Metaphysics:  Aesthetics:  Existentialism:

REMEMBER…  We will never look at a text STRICTLY from one standpoint or another, ignoring all other views. That is antithetical to what we are trying to do.  We should always keep our focus on the text and use these critical approaches to clarify our understanding of a text and develop an interpretation of it.