Introduction to Literary Criticism Literary Criticism and Theory

Introduction to Literary Criticism

Literary Criticism and Theory l 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. l Literary Criticism helps readers understand a text in relation to the author, culture, and other texts.

The Most Common Critical Stances for Literature l Formalistic l Biographical l Historical/Cultural l Psychological l Mythological l Gender l Deconstructionist

Formalist Criticism (p. 2095) A formalist (aka New Criticism) reading of a text focuses on symbol, metaphor, imagery, and so on. l Formalism ignores the author’s biography and focuses only on the interaction of literary elements within the text. l It’s what you do most often in English literature. l

A Formalist Reading of “The Three Little Pigs” l What does the wolf symbolize? l Notice the consonance of “I’ll huff and I’ll puff…” l How does the story foreshadow the final fate of the pigs? l What does the wolf’s dialogue tell us about his character?

Biographical Criticism (p. 2097) As the name suggests, this type of criticism reads the text looking for the author’s influence. l By examining the author’s life, we can have a deeper understanding of his writing. l

A Biographical Reading of The Importance of Being Earnest l Wilde had an intimate knowledge of “Bunburying” because he led a doublelife too in his homosexual relationship with a young Oxford student. l The characters’ flippant attitude about marriage mirrors Wilde’s own casual devotion to his wife.

Historical/Cultural Criticism (p. 2101) l Of course, this critical viewpoint examines a text in relation to its historical or cultural backdrop. l You may examine a text’s effect on history or culture. l A historical/cultural analysis is often very similar to a biographical analysis, and it’s possible to view history, culture, and biography in a single essay.

Historical/Cultural Reading of The Crucible How accurate is Arthur Miller’s account of the Salem Witch Trials? l What can The Crucible reveal about colonial New England Puritan society? l

Marxist Literary Theory l Four main areas of study: l • economic power l • materialism versus spirituality l • class conflict l • art, literature, and ideologies Proletariat—Working Class Individuals l Bourgoisie—Privileged Oppressors l

Marxist Theory-Cont. l Examining “Cinderella” from a Marxist Perspective l Consider Cinderella as a representative of the oppressed by her bourgeoisie stepmother and stepsisters, who have stolen her rightful inheritance and turned her into a servant in her own home; desiring to join the ranks of the bourgeoisie by marrying the prince.

Psychological Criticism (p. 2099) l Psychological critical theory applies theories of psychology to a text to better understand its characters l Based largely on Freud, this theory hinges on the belief that an examination of people’s (characters’) unconscious desires.

Psychological Criticism l Drives governing human behavior l l l Id – the animal nature that says, “Do what feels good. ” Ego – the reality-based part of your personality that makes decisions to satisfy the Id and Superego – the socialized “conscience” that tells you what’s right or fair

Psychological Criticism Oedipus Complex – Every boy has the unconscious desire to have sex with their mother; consequently, sons are deeply afraid of their fathers, and fathers are deeply threatened by their sons. Elektra Complex – Every daughter has the unconscious desire to have sex with their father; consequently, daughters are deeply afraid of their mothers, and mothers are deeply threatened by their daughters.

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

Psychological Criticism Of course, these complexes have their origins in literature and mythology. l Psychological criticism is a way to understand characters, not diagnose them. l

A Psychological Reading of Macbeth l Macbeth kills King Duncan because he unconsciously recognizes the king as a father-figure. Hence, Duncan is a rival for power and the affections of the people. l In the latter acts of the play, Macbeth has indulged his id so often that his ego has lost the ability to restrain it.

Mythological Criticism (p. 2107) l This stance is not about mythology. l It is about the universal elements of human life common in all cultures. l Like ancient mythology, all literature is a window to creating meaning for human life. l In other words, stories make us feel like our lives are more significant.

Mythological Criticism Central to the Mythological theory is the concept of archetypes. l Simply put, archetypes those universal elements present in the literature of all cultures. l

Mythological Criticism l Common Archetypes The Hero = Beowulf, Spiderman, Luke Skywalker, Braveheart l The Outcast = Macbeth’s clown, Grendel, Cain l The Quest = LOTR, Star Wars, Beowulf l Sacrificial King = Jesus, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, LOTR l Evil Personified = Wicked Witch of the West, the Devil, the Emperor in SW, the Borg l

Mythological Criticism The goal of Mythological Criticism seeks to understand how the story constructs meaning in the human existence through archetypes. l For example, note the ways texts have examined betrayal. l

A Mythological Reading of Beowulf is the archetypal hero because his bravery and righteous behavior embodies the ideals and hopes of Anglo. Saxon society. l Grendel, the outsider, represents both the alien invaders of neighboring, warring tribes and the threat of supernatural monsters, which, as pagans, the Anglo-Saxons truly believed existed. l

Moral/Religious/Philosophical Theory asserts that the larger purpose of literature is to teach morality and to probe philosophical issues l authors intend to instruct the audience in some way l readers must examine text through various philosophies (existentialism, Judeo-Christian doctrine, moralism, etc. ) to understand the texts implicit/explicit meaning. l

Gender Criticism (p. 2105) l Gender criticism analyzes literature through the lens of socially-constructed gender roles. l The largest part of gender criticism is feminism, which critiques and seeks to correct women’s subordination to men in society. l In its purist form, feminism is about equality.

Gender Criticism l. A newer segment of gender criticism is “queer theory, ” which looks for the influence of homosexuality within texts. l Research of this type is fairly difficult because, as you’ve learned, homosexuality was largely suppressed in Europe and America, and it hasn’t been openly discussed until the last few decades.

A Feminist Reading of Goldilocks As a single, young woman, Goldilocks finds herself without means or opportunity because she is unattached to a father or a husband. Perhaps, this is why she’s alone in the woods. l An independent woman, then, is a threat to the “normal” nuclear family, represented by the three bears. l

Deconstructionist Criticism (p. 2111) Deconstructionism argues that since there is no single meaning of any word, there can be no single meaning of a text. l EVERY text, therefore, has multiple valid meanings because the reader may interpret the words differently than the writer intended them. l

Deconstructionist Criticism l As your book notes, most literary criticism is about construction of a larger meaning from a text. l Deconstructionism emphasizes the breakdown of any meaning within a text because the variety of different readers. l Example: “Write the author of ‘The Tell. Tale Heart. ’”

Deconstructionism is basically a verbal Sophism; because there is no concrete meaning of anything, there is no single truth applicable to all human beings. l Hence, everything is relative to you. l

A Deconstructionist Reading of “The Tortoise and the Hare” The homophone hare/hair would make this fable incomprehensible without pictures. l In Native American cultures, the tortoise is a symbol of honor, so Indians would interpret the “race” as a contest of honor and fair play instead of endurance. l

More Literary Theory l New ways of viewing literature (and the world) continue to develop, but these are the main theories you’ll come in contact with.