Ms. Kelly Lit Crit Theory

What is literary theory? The terms “literary theory” and “critical theory” refer to essentially the same fields of study. They both address ways of looking at literature beyond the typical plot-theme-character-setting studies. Simply put-a particular lens through which you view a literary text There is no right, or wrong way to view a text Literary texts Books/novels, novellas, short stories, poems Dialogic heteroglossia Term coined by Russian writer Mikhail Bakhtin Means many voices occurring all at once in different conversations Used to describe the different conversations we are able to have about literature particularly the novel

Texts have multiple interpretations Critics use a particular theory to analyze the text Follow hermeneutical principles- the rules of interpretation No theory is based in factual knowledge- someone created it and it is arguable Using multiple theories can enhance the story There is no “metatheory” Your background or world view also plays a role in your interpretation

Schools of Thought Psychoanalytical Feminist Marxist Reader Response

Psychoanalytical Criticism The idea is to evaluate the psychology of the character or the author to find meaning in the text Examining human actions and human subconscious (dreams) Whether it is the bizarre, erotic, or prophetic powers, dreams cause us to question and explore that part of our minds we have little control over, the unconscious or subconscious!

Sigmund Freud Tripartite Model or Structural Model Divides the psyche (soul/mind) into three parts Id- contains our secret desires, darkest wishes, and most intense fears, the id wants you to fulfill all pleasurable animalistic urges Ego- rational, logical, waking part of the mind. Operates in harmony with reality. Ego keeps the id in check and allows our desires to be fulfilled in nondestructive ways Superego-acts like an internal censor, causing us to make moral judgments due to the social pressure we feel. Police like. Can create an unconscious sense of guilt and fear. Ego has to mediate between the Id and Superego

Parapraxes or Freudian slips Accidental slip of the tongue Failure in memory Misplacing of objects All of these bring to our consciousness our subconscious desires, wishes and intentions

Transition to Adulthood Oedipus complex-in a male child’s formative years his object of love becomes his mother Oedipus Rex Greek tragedy by Sophocles Fulfills a prophecy to kill his father and marry his mother Electra complex-in a girl’s formative years she too is attached to the mother but develops phallic envy her attachment shifting to the father Electra another play by Sophocles schemes with her brother to kill her mother for murdering their father

Significance of Dreams According to Freud every adult has stored many painful memories of repressed sexual desires, anger, rage, and guilt in his/her subconscious Conscious mind has repressed these desires and memories Subconscious redirects and reshapes these concealed thoughts and wishes into the form of images or symbols in our dreams or writings

Significance of Dreams Displacement- unconscious shifts feelings from a person to a symbol Ex. Hatred for a person named Mr. Appleby is shifted to a rotting apple in a dream Condensation- shifts anger for multiple thing/people into a simple sentence

Examining Cinderella from a Psychoanalytical Point of View Consider Cinderella as a representative of the id—expressing desire. Consider the stepmother and stepsisters as representatives of the superego—preventing the id from fulfilling its desire. (social structure) In some versions of Cinderella we can identify an Electra complex between Cinderella and her father. Sharing a special bond– then the step mother comes in and threatens this bond causing a power struggle. Fairy godmother is representative of the Ego allowing Cinderella’s desires to be fulfilled in a socially acceptable way

Simba and Scar from “The Lion King” Can be viewed as a classic case of sibling rivalry—Scar is savagely jealous of his much stronger older brother. Due to Simba being a prince and a child his Id is left unchecked by the pride’s superego. This leads him to some trouble and ultimately the death of his father which could show an unconscious Oedipus complex– Simba “just can’t wait to be king” Can also be viewed as the classic struggle within the subconscious to overcome feelings of guilt or inadequacy—both of which Simba has after the death of his father.

Psychoanalytical Crit Homework Take any text: can be a television show, movie, fairy tale, a book that you loved when you were a kid Using Freud’s structural model or any of the other terms we discussed connect them to a character’s or characters’ actions This need not be lengthy! Identify the text, character or characters, and how they are exhibiting Freudian hermeneutics