The Historical and Biographical Lenses What They Are

The Historical and Biographical Lenses What They Are, Why They’re Important and How to Apply Them

What is the historical significance of a work of literature?

Historical lenses seek to reconnect a work with the time period in which it was produced and identify it with the cultural and political movements of the time. Historicists assume that every work is a product of the historic moment that created it.

Traditional Historicism • By examining the times and culture the author was immersed in, we can better understand their work • Literature is about the retelling of history itself • Traditional historians ask, 'What happened? ' and 'What does the event tell us about history? ' • A historical lens is necessary to fully understand allusions

New Historicism • Views history as subjective, rather than objective • Gained momentum in the 1970’s, and championed perspective as the defining characteristic of most historical works – i. e. , winners write history • New historicists ask, 'How has the event been interpreted? ' and 'What do the interpretations tell us about the interpreters? ‘

New Historicism • New historicists do not believe that we can look at history objectively, but rather that we interpret events as products of our time and culture • We don't have clear access to any but the most basic facts of history. . . our understanding of what such facts mean is strictly a matter of interpretation, not fact • New Historicism holds that we are hopelessly subjective interpreters of what we observe

Biographical • View work as the product of an author’s life • By examining the author’s life, it is easy to track their influences and what circumstances birthed certain ideas • However, some believe this style of examining work makes everything relative rather than universal

Questions to Ask When Examining a Work Historically: When did this person live? What events were occurring at the time that the author may have been influenced by? Was there a purpose to the work at the time? What do we learn about history through the work?

Questions to Ask When Examining a Work With the New Historicism Lens: What was this person’s role in the political, social or cultural happenings of their time? Were any biases prevalent at the time that may have influenced their thinking? How are the historically relevant events interpreted and presented? How are events' interpretation and presentation a product of the culture of the author?

Questions to Ask When Examining a Work Through a Biographical Perspective: How was this person raised? Did they suffer through any kind of tragedy or struggle? What were their personal beliefs? What age/stage of life were they in when they wrote the work?