Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Literary Theory and Methodology Session Eight: New Historicism and Cultural Materialism

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Literary Theory and Methodology Agenda Post-structuralism, deconstruction and the omnipresence of text Post-structuralism, deconstruction and the omnipresence of text Historicism Historicism New historicism: key concepts New historicism: key concepts Cultural materialism: key concepts Cultural materialism: key concepts Stephen Greenblatt Stephen Greenblatt

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Literary Theory and Methodology Questions: Is it important what children read or watch? Is it important what children read or watch?

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Literary Theory and Methodology Questions: Is it important what children read or watch? Is it important what children read or watch? Does pornography influence people’s notions of sexual identity? Does pornography influence people’s notions of sexual identity?

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Literary Theory and Methodology Questions: Is it important what children read or watch? Is it important what children read or watch? Does pornography influence people’s notions of sexual identity? Does pornography influence people’s notions of sexual identity? Do violent films make people more violent? Do violent films make people more violent?

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Literary Theory and Methodology What is the governing assumption behind the three questions? ??? ???

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Literary Theory and Methodology Post-structuralism, deconstruction and the omnipresence of text Différance Différance The non-existence of a language- independent reality The non-existence of a language- independent reality ”il n’y a rien hors du texte,” ”il n’y a pas de hors-texte”: there is no outside-the-text ”il n’y a rien hors du texte,” ”il n’y a pas de hors-texte”: there is no outside-the-text The problem of history The problem of history

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Literary Theory and Methodology Poststructuralism: Signifiers Cat Carnivrous quadruped – spiteful woman – itinerant worker – Jazz fan

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Literary Theory and Methodology Historicism Literature and social, intellectual history Literature and social, intellectual history Foreground and background Foreground and background The literary work as a reflection of a particular period The literary work as a reflection of a particular period

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Literary Theory and Methodology Mimetic criticism The literary work of art is a mirror. The literary work of art is a mirror. –It imitates, or reflects, or represents reality, or life, or the world. Prescribes the kinds of things a literary work ought to mirror. Prescribes the kinds of things a literary work ought to mirror.

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Literary Theory and Methodology Jakobson’s Six Factors of Verbal Communication context Addressermessageaddressee contact code

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Literary Theory and Methodology Jakobson’s Six Functions of Verbal Communication Referential Emotivepoeticconative phaticmetalingual

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Literary Theory and Methodology Marxist criticism 1. What is being / ought to be reflected? 2. The nature of reflection 3. Base and superstructure 4. Class struggle 5. History as a dialectic process 6. Ideology 7. Hegemony

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Literary Theory and Methodology New historicism: key concepts ”the historicity of texts and the textuality of history” ”the historicity of texts and the textuality of history” A literary text is not an autonomous, organic whole A literary text is not an autonomous, organic whole History, the past, is not a homogenous pattern of stable facts and events History, the past, is not a homogenous pattern of stable facts and events Representation, embedding, negotiation, circulation rather than reflection Representation, embedding, negotiation, circulation rather than reflection Agency rather than subjectivity Agency rather than subjectivity

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Literary Theory and Methodology Cultural mareialism: Key concepts Marxism Marxism Intervention Intervention