LITERARY
CRITICISM
The paradigms
and
the possibilities…
DEFINITION …
Literary criticism is the study,
discussion, evaluation, and
interpretation of literature.
Wow …
thanks a lot …
now everything is crystal clear …
That rocks :)
Let's try again …
"Literary criticism is the evaluation
of literary works. This includes the
classification by genre, analysis of
structure, and judgement of
value."
Beckson & Ganz
Ok, that's a bit better …
And again …
"Literary criticism asks what
literature is, what it does, and
what it is worth."
Encyclopedia Britannica
Nice …
Definition and Use
Ú “Literary criticism” is the name given to
works written by experts who critique—
analyze—an author’s work.
Ú It does NOT mean “to criticize” as in
complain or disapprove.
Ú Literary criticism is often referred to as a
“secondary source”.
Definition and Use
Ú Literary criticism is often referred to as a
“secondary source”, because it is used
to analyze your primary work—the work
or text (novel) you are reading.
Ú Literary criticism is used by people who
want to use an expert’s opinion to
support their own ideas.
Definition and Use
Ú Remember, literary criticism is used by
readers to analyze, NOT by authors to
write.
Ú Therefore, when you begin to analyze
your novel, you’ll make use of expert,
reliable literary criticism to support your
opinion—your thesis—which you will
develop for your paper.
Let's try again …
§ An informed, written analysis &
evaluation of a work of literature
based on a “literary theory”
[http://wordnet.princeton.edu/]
[Critical Encounters, Deborah
Appleman]
Literary Theories
§ Literary Theories--a means to
understand the various ways
people read & connect with texts.
§ “lenses” through which we can
see texts
§ Usually leads to a whole new
perspective
In other words …
Literary criticism is the
method used to
interpret any given
work of literature.
The different schools
of literary criticism
provide us with lenses
which ultimately reveal
important aspects of
the literary work.
Why do we have to
analyze everything????
Ú Talking about experiences enhances our
enjoyment of them
Ú Talking about experiences involves the
search for meaning which increases our
understanding of them
Ú Because Socrates said so: "The life
which is unexamined is not worth
living."
Literary Criticism and Theory
Ú Any piece of text can be
read with a number of
different sets of
“glasses,” meaning you
are looking for different
things within the text.
Ú Literary criticism helps
readers understand a
text in relation to the
author, culture, and
other texts.
To further explain …
Literary criticism helps us to
understand what is important
about the text
– its structure: literary elements, codes
and signs, language style
– its context: social, economic,
historical, cultural, moral,
biographical influences
– what is written (and NOT written)
– how the text manipulates the reader
(and how the reader shapes the text)
And there's more …
Ú Literary criticism helps us to
understand the relationship
between authors, readers, and
texts
Ú The act of literary criticism
ultimately enhances the
enjoyment of our reading of
the literary work
YOU'RE GOING TO STUDY
DIFFERENT PARADIGMS
…
1. Formalism
2. Marxism
3. Feminism
4. Psychoanalytic Criticism
5. Sociological and Cultural Criticism
6. Structuralism and Post-structuralism
7. Archetypal Criticism
8. Semiotics and Hermeneutics
9. Mimetic Criticism
But there are many
more …
Ú Author intention
Ú Reader Response
Ú Historical-Biographical
Ú Cognitive scientific
Ú Moralist-Philosophical
Ú Queer
Ú Socio-political
Ú Sociological
Ú And so many more …
OVERVIEW AUTHOR’S
WORLD
LITERARY CRITICISM Historical,
Biographical
Philosophical, AUTHOR’S
Psychoanalytic LIFE
Mimetic
BEYOND REAL OTHER
THE LITERARY LITERATURE
WORLD
WORLD WORK
Formalist, Intertextual
Structuralism, Genre
Archetypal
Deconstruction,
Semiotics
AUDIENCE Reader-
Feminist, Marxist, Response
Sociological, Cultural, etc.
Understanding the Map
Ú The work itself is placed in the center
because all approaches must deal, to some
extent or another, with the text itself.
Ú Formalism and deconstruction are placed
here also because they deal primarily with the
text and not with any of the outside
considerations such as author, the real world,
audience, or other literature. Meaning,
formalists argue, is inherent in the text.
Because meaning is determinant, all other
considerations are irrelevant.
Ú Deconstructionists also subject texts to
careful, formal analysis; however, they reach
an opposite conclusion: there is no meaning in
language.
Understanding the Map
Ú A historical-biographical approach relies heavily on
the author and his world. In the historical view, it is
important to understand the author and his world in
order to understand his intent and to make sense of his
work. In this view, the work is informed by the author's
beliefs, prejudices, time, and history, and to fully
understand the work, we must understand the author
and his age.
Ú An intertextual approach is concerned with comparing
the work in question to other literature, to get a broader
picture.
Ú Reader-Response is concerned with how the work is
viewed by the audience. In this approach, the reader
creates meaning, not the author or the work.
Understanding the Map
Ú Mimetic criticism seeks to see how well a
work accords with the real world (Is it
accurate? correct? Moral?)
Ú Then, beyond the real world are approaches
dealing with the spiritual and the symbolic--
the images connecting people throughout time
and cultures (archetypes). This is mimetic in
a sense too, but the congruency looked for is
not so much with the real world as with
something beyond the real world--something
tying in all the worlds/times/cultures inhabited
by humans.
Understanding the Map
Ú The Psychological approach is placed outside
these poles because it can fit in many places,
depending how it is applied:
(1) Historical if diagnosing the author himself
(2) Mimetic if considering whether characters
are acting by "real world" standards and with
recognizable psychological motivations
(3) Archetypal when the idea of the Jungian
collective unconscious is included
(4) Reader-Response when the psychology of
the reader--why he sees what he sees in the
text--is examined.
Understanding the Map
Ú Likewise, Feminist, Minority, Marxist, and
other such approaches may fit in:
(1) Historical if the author's attitudes are being
examined in relation to his times (i.e. was
Shakespeare a feminist for his times, though
he might not be considered so today?)
(2) Mimetic--when asking how well characters
accord with the real world. Does a black
character act like a black person would, or is
he a stereotype? Are women being portrayed
accurately? Does the work show a realistic
economic picture of the world?
There are so many
possible answers …
What does this literary work mean?
Ú Different approaches or lenses help us
to discover rich and deeper meaning
Ú Each lense has its strengths and
weaknesses
Ú Each lense is valuable
Ú Try to become a pluralist rather than an
inflexible supporter of one
YOUR TASK
Ú Learn your theory like your life
depends on it
Ú Teach your theory to the class
through application
Ú Interpret a selection of genres
using your theory
Ú Present your findings
FOLLOW THIS PROCESS
Know & present the following information:
Ú Key person(s) who influenced the theory
Ú Background information about the theory
Ú Tenets (main points) about the theory accompanied by
compelling facts
Ú Key words associated with the theory & definitions
Ú Strengths of the theory
Ú Weaknesses of the theory
Ú Create a one-page handout highlighting the key
components
Ú TACK: T the explanation of the theory; A the
interpretation of the selection of literature; C the
presentation of the creative component; K the
demonstration of each student that he/she has grasped
the information/
WHERE DO I BEGIN?
Ú Reference books & books in
general collection
Ú Databases
Ú Internet using Advanced Search
Ú Library folders
Ú NOT Wikipedia
What should you avoid?
Ú Wikipedia
Ú Wikipedia
Ú Wikipedia
Ú Coles notes
Ú Plagiarism
Ú Attempting to present your theory
before you truly understand the
content
Objectives
§ Begin understanding of literary
criticism
§ Identify & apply literary theories
to works
§ Prepare for analysis & evaluation
of a sample work
Big Questions about Literature
Ú What is literature ?
Ú Does the author matter?
Ú What are the influences on how we read
a text?
Ú How do we make connections to others
in distant lands and times through a
work of literature?
The Basic Idea
Ú The point of criticism is to argue your point
of view on a work of literature.
Ú You don’t have to criticize a text (but you
can)
Ú You do have to analyze a text and support
your assertions with specific evidence from
experts and the text.
Ú It s crucial to go beyond plot development
and into more abstract, higher-level thinking
like theme, tone, purpose, etc.
The Basic Idea
Ú A critical analysis is an in-depth
examination of some aspect of the
literary work
Ú you may examine any element of the
text: character development, conflicts,
narrative point of view, etc.
Ú Literary critical theories inform us of
certain ways to approach big ideas in the
novel.
The Basic Idea
Ú There are many different approaches we
can take to critical analysis
Ú Literary theories provide a framework
for our discussion of a text
Ú We don t have to identify the theory
we re using, though.
Ú We use it as a starting point for our own
ideas and opinions
WORKS CITED
Appleman, Deborah. Critical Encounters
in High School English. New York:
Teachers College Press, 2000.
WordNet: A Lexical Database for the English
Language. 2006. Cognitive Science
Laboratory at Princeton University. 01
Nov 2007. http://wordnet.princeton.edu/.
Burris, Skylar. Literary Criticism: An
Overview of Approaches. 2005.
University of Texas at Brownsville. 01
Nov 2007.
http://www.literatureclassics.com/ancientpaths/
liccrit.html .
