LITERATURE THEORY ENGLISH 10 LITERATURE THEORY AFFECTIVE THEORY

LITERATURE THEORY ENGLISH 10

LITERATURE THEORY • AFFECTIVE THEORY • THE MAIN JOB IS TO AROUSE EMOTION IN THE READER. • ANY RELEASE OF EMOTION IS POSITIVE. • IF AN EMOTION IS FELT, THEN WE WILL ACT! • THOSE WITHOUT THE RELEASE OF EMOTION, WILL NOT ACT, AND THEREFORE, WILL NOT GROW OR MATURE.

LITERATURE THEORY • EXPRESSIVE THEORY • THE ARTIST EXPRESSES MEANING THROUGH HIS FEELINGS • THE TRUTH LIES IN HOW WE FEEL OR REACT • IF A FEELING IS IN ONE INDIVIDUAL, THEN IT IS IN ALL OF US. • THE TASK IS TO REACH ALL PEOPLE THROUGH THESE EMOTIONS • MEANING EXISTS…WE HAVE TO FIND IT.

LITERATURE THEORY • IMITATIVE THEORY • ALL ART IMITATES LIFE • IT IS A RE-CREATION OR RE-REPRESENTATION OF ACTUAL LIFE. • THE EVENTS AREN’T IMPORTANT, BUT THE CONSEQUENCES ARE. • LITERATURE SHOWS US HOW WE ARE TO “BE” • IT CLARIFIES THINGS IN OUR LIVES.

CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES • THE GREAT TRADITION – LEWIS (1895 -1978) • THERE IS A LINK BETWEEN ALL GREAT WRITERS, BECAUSE EACH LEARNS FROM THE WRITERS THAT CAME BEFORE. • LITERATURE PROGRESSES. • THIS PLACES A MORAL OBLIGATION ON THE WRITER AND THE READER NEEDS TO BE AWARE OF THAT TRADITION.

CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES • READER RESPONSE- I. A. RICHARDS (1893 -1979) • THE INDIVIDUAL READER’S RESPONSE IS THE IMPORTANT THING. WHAT THE WRITER MIGHT HAVE INTENDED IS NOT IMPORTANT, WHAT THE READER FINDS IS. • THE READERS WAY INTO THE TEXT IS THROUGH CONNECTION MADE BETWEEN THE WORDS AND OUR PERCEPTION OF THEIR MEANING. • SCHOOL-BASED THEORY.

CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES • GENRE • LITERATURE IS CLASSIFIED INTO GENRE CATEGORIES, THEN JUDGED AGAINST THE CONVENTIONS OF THAT GENRE. • THIS IS USED OFTEN IN MEDIA STUDIES.

CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES • STRUCTURALISM • THE FOCUS IS ON ANALYZING WITHOUT EVALUATING, SHOWING WHAT AND HOW, BUT NOT JUDGING HOW EFFECTIVE IT IS. • BARTHES – LITERATURE IS A SYSTEM OF CODES ROOTED IN CULTURE THAT INVITES US TO EXPLORE WHAT “REALITY” IS. WHAT WE FIND IN THE TEXT DEPENDS ON WHAT OUR CULTURE IS. • MACHEREY – A WRITER RE-ASSEMBLES PRE-EXISTING IDEOLOGIES, CONVENTIONS AND CODES ACCORDING TO IDEOLOGIES WE MIGHT NOT EVEN BE AWARE OF.

CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES • DECONSTRUCTIONISTS – DERRIDA • BECAUSE EVERY TEST IS READ DIFFERENTLY AS READERS FIND MEANING, NO TEXT CAN BE SAID TO HAVE “MEANING”. • WORDS DO NOT CREATE MEANING; THEY MERELY PLAY LINGUISTIC GAMES THAT FOLLOW AND BREAK RULES. • WE THEN CREATE MEANING BASED ON INTERPRETATION OF THOSE RULES.