LITERARY CRITICISM SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT, CONCEPTS, KEY TERMS, AND PROCESS

LITERARY THEORY IS LIKE A PAIR OF GLASSES IT PROVIDES (CRITICAL) LENSES DESIGNED TO BRING OUT WHAT IS ALREADY THERE, BUT WHAT IS OFTEN MISSED WITH UNAIDED VISION.

CRITIC VS. LITERARY CRITICISM A critic is one likes or dislikes a book, movie, or a dinner. A critic does evaluate but only on the basis of personal preference. Literary Criticism is criticism not because it is negative or corrective, but because the people writing the criticism ask hard, analytical, crucial, or “critical” questions about the works they read.

WHAT IS NOT LITERARY CRITICISM Book Reviews Newspaper Articles Wikipedia Ask.com Literary Criticism must be published in an academic paper or journal.

You will learn to read texts from a range of perspectives – archetypal, feminist, marxist, & psychoanalytical.

THE PROPONENTS OF EACH THEORY BELIEVE THEIR THEORY IS THE THEORY, BUT MOST OF US INTERPRET TEXTS ACCORDING TO THE RULES OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT THEORIES AT ONE TIME.

Archetypal/Mythological Criticism Humans have similar ways looking at the world: archetypes. Images, characters, symbols, and story patterns that all humans recognize. Responses to archetypes deep and unconscious Archetypes represent universal experiences: hopes, fears, expectations and values Focus/Key Ideas

Archetypal/Mythological Criticism Archetypal story patterns: –Hero/ quest –initiation/coming of age –the underworld –birth/death/rebirth –seasons Archetypal characters: –scapegoat –trickster –wise old man/woman –paradise –father figure/earth mother Terms/Concepts

Archetypal images and symbols Sun, moon Sunset, sunrise water, sea Circles Snakes, monsters Caves Fire Archetypal/Mythological Criticism Terms/Concepts

Archetypal/Mythological Criticism look for underlying patterns that reveal universal meanings look at characters, images, and symbols RESEARCHRESEARCH the archetypes that you think applies to your story Process

Feminist/Gender Criticism Literary canon controlled by men—we also need to pay attention to women’s perspectives. Leaving them out limits our understanding of the world. Men are also affected by gender stereotypes. Women have different ways of speaking and writing than men do—they use different symbols, metaphors, etc. Focus/Key Ideas

Feminist/Gender Criticism Terms matriarchy/matriarchal patriarchy/patriarchal stereotype gender role outsider/insider masculine or feminine discourse dominant/subordinate

Feminist/Gender Criticism Focus on the roles of men and women Pay attention to who has power and voice Look for characters who try to defy stereotypes or who represent them Look for the author’s attitudes about gender— are there assumptions that shape the story? Look for diction or other elements that indicate masculine or feminine discourse and how that shapes the story Process

Marxist Criticism Similar to feminist criticism Points out that socioeconomic forces affect people: characters, authors, readers Exposes inequalities in power and access caused by social and economic class Focus/Key Ideas

Marxist Criticism Terms Class Class struggle Proletariat/bourgeois/capitalist Repression Materialism Upper class/working class/lowER class

Marxist Criticism Identify the socioeconomic class of characters (and the author) Look for struggles between characters of different classes, or of characters trying to move between classes Look for assumptions about class and power made by the author or characters Look at themes/conflicts rather than structure/techniques Process

Psychological / Psychoanalytical Criticism Focus/Key Ideas Heavily influenced by Freudian theory Reading a literary work is a way of experiencing the consciousness of the author Examines the internal mental states, desires, and motivations of characters

Psychological / Psychoanalytical Criticism Terms Motivation Unconscious/subconscious Oedipal complex / Electra complex Psyche Id/ego/super ego Repression Latent vs. manifest

Psychological / Psychoanalytical Criticism Process Pay attention to symbols and dreams Look for what is unsaid—subtle clues to unconscious motivations or feelings Research the particular complex or stage you think you see

Where to Find Legitimate Literary Criticism