Literary Criticism - Introduction

How to read like a Literary Critic A careful reader does not just read a text for the story. Content Subject Literary Devices The reason and motivation behind every line How language is used, form, style Tone, register, atmosphere and mood

What are literary schools of criticism? A basic way of thinking about literary theory Each theory acts as a lense that critics use to view and talk about art, literature, and even culture The lenses allow critics to consider works of art based on certain assumptions within that school of theory Also allow critics to focus on particular aspects of a work they consider important

Example If a critic is working with certain Marxist theories, s/he might focus on how the characters in a story interact based on their economic situation. If a critic is working with post-colonial theories, s/he might consider the same story but look at how characters from colonial powers (Britain, France, and even America) treat characters from, say, Africa or the Caribbean

Timeline Moral Criticism and Dramatic Construction Formalist and New Criticism Psychoanalytic & Jungian Criticism Marxist Criticism Reader Response Criticism Structuralism/Semiotics Post-Structuralism/Deconstruction New Historicism//Cultural Studies Post Colonial Criticism Feminist Criticism Gender/Queen Studies

Lecture from Yale University Take Notes – Content will be reviewed tomorrow. http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStor e.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=341652697