Through the Eyes of a Historian By Paige Gregory, Emma Castelli, and Carolyn Learned

Meaning Social, cultural, and intellectual context Artist’s biography and milieu A historian approaches a literary work by researching the social, cultural, and intellectual context of the time period. The historian understands the artist’s life and the influence of where he/she lived which is essential to comprehending the meaning behind the text.

Literary Examples The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Crucible The Pedagogy of the Oppressed To Kill A Mockingbird A Thousand Splendid Suns George Bush’s Fifth Anniversary Speech The Scarlet Letter Huck Finn Racism/slavery The right of a drunken father to his son Murder and its punishment The duels between the Grangerfords and Shepardsons The Crucible Salem witch trials Justice, evidence by testimony The Pedagogy of the Oppressed Written in 1970 Brazil Era of military regime, suppressed opinions Written for the people of Brazil and reform for education To Kill A Mockingbird Racism in the South A Thousand Splendid Suns The war in Afghanistan The change from women freedom to sexism by Taliban Soviet invasion, Mujahideen, Taliban, USA Domestic abuse Role of “bastard” children George Bush’s Fifth Anniversary Speech Analyze the time period, how long after 9/11 Analyze the people and how they were feeling compared to 5 years ago Address the war in Iraq The Scarlet Letter Adultery was a magnanimous sin Punishment, therefore, was equally great

Important Questions Does author have bias? Where was author born? In what era did author grow up in? What’s author’s history with war/conflict? What’s author’s history with poverty or wealth? What was author’s marital status? How many siblings did author have? Where was author educated and to what extent? When/where does book take place? How is author’s voice coming through text and how does that relate to his/her life? These important questions help the reader to analyze a text from a historical point of view. They help understand the life of the author and how their environment, such as their family life, their education, the time period in which they grew up, all contributed to their literary work.

Comparison Advantages Disadvantages Military, social, economic, scientific, intellectual, and literary history Allusions Clearly analyzes Reflection Author’s life separate True meaning needs background Undertone Narrow minded ADVANTAGES Military, social, economic, scientific, intellectual, literary and other types of history are considered to help the reader fully understand the context Places allusions in their proper classical, political, or biblical background Clearly analyzes literature, referencing historical or biographical indication The work of literature is a reflection of the author’s time/life DISADVANTAGES It’s important to view the author’s life as a separate circumstance to what the literature they are writing. The true meaning/appreciation of the author’s work might not be captured without a study of the author’s life. The undertone of the author’s work might be a misleading notion, where the subject matter is too factual and fails to address the depth and meaning of the document’s contents. Views work of art as strictly historical or biographical without fully understanding the concept of the writing

How to… Verify historical setting/biographical background Understand the work Reference other texts Consider major events, values, and beliefs of the time period Investigate the author’s life using biographies, autobiographies, letters, etc. Consider how historical background will help readers to further understand the work of literature. Consider how the work contradicts or stands apart from typical values or beliefs of its time. Investigate how the author’s life helps the reader to understand the text Consider other texts of the same time period that might give the reader insight into the text.

Where to… English Class Entertainment It becomes easier to further analyze a book or other form of literature by first addressing it’s historical relevance Example: Many forms of American literature hold references to historical facts. Without understanding when the author lived or where the story took place, it’s easy to lose the meaning or appreciation of the literature. While at the theater, reading a book for pleasure, or viewing a popular TV series, it is important to first concentrate on the author or historical milieu to deduce its contents and appreciate the work entirely. Example: Pushing Daises failed to grasp a consistent audience due to the fact that many viewers were not able to take hold of the many allusions or historical references found in the writing.

Work Cited http://www.theinquirer.net/img/12248/Earth---doomed.jpg "Historical Biographical Criticism." Tripod. Web. 23 Sept. 2009. <http://english23405.tripod.com/english234.html>. "Literary Criticism: Map." Null. Web. 23 Sept. 2009. http://wwww.ksu.edu.sa/colleges/art/eng/461- Eng/Literary%20Criticism%20Map.htm. "Literary Criticism WebQuest - Historical/Biographical." Msward.org. Web. 23 Sept. 2009. <http://www.msward.org/group1.html>. The University of Mississippi. Web. 23 Sept. 2009.<http://home.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/200/litcri t.txt>