schools of thought, concepts, key terms, and process Literary Criticism schools of thought, concepts, key terms, and process

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

Archetypal Criticism Archetypal story patterns: Hero/quest Terms/Concepts Archetypal story patterns: Hero/quest initiation/coming of age metamorphosis the underworld birth/death/rebirth seasons

Archetypal Criticism Archetypal characters: Hero Innocent youth Terms/Concepts Archetypal characters: Hero Innocent youth Damsel in distress scapegoat trickster wise old man/woman father figure/earth mother

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

Archetypal Criticism Process Look for underlying patterns that reveal universal meanings. Look at characters, images, and symbols. RESEARCH the archetypes that you think apply to your story.

Archetypal Criticism Example Star Wars is an example of the archetypal hero/quest journey. The hero is called to action, must face obstacles, and is eventually able to overcome the odds. Several archetypal characters exist in the film: hero - Luke, damsel in distress - Leia, and wise man - Obi Wan.

Feminist/Gender Criticism Focus/Key Ideas Society defines what it means to be a a man or woman—masculine or feminine—these definitions can shape and sometimes limit people’s identities, opportunities, etc. Women are NOT “better” or “worse” than men—their experiences and interpretations are different and equally valuable. Women have different ways of speaking and writing than men do—they use different symbols, metaphors, etc. Men are also affected by gender stereotypes.

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

Feminist/Gender Criticism Process 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.

Feminist/Gender Criticism Example In Star Wars, Princess Leia both defies and upholds stereotypical female roles. She is first presented as a “damsel in distress” who must wait for a strong man to help her. However, she also displays many attributes such as sarcasm, strong will, and the ability to shoot a gun which go against the stereotypical female. The patriarchal system focuses on male perspective thus the female perspective is limited. The majority of the action is done by males with females acting as smart mouthed sidekicks.

Marxist Criticism Marxist criticism is similar to feminist criticism. Focus/Key Ideas Marxist criticism is similar to feminist criticism. Points out that socioeconomic forces affect people: characters, authors, readers, etc. People don’t notice that they are part of a socioeconomic system and they do not question or challenge it; it shapes their perceptions of everything in life. Exposes inequalities in power and access caused by social and economic class.

Marxist Criticism Class Class struggle Terms Class Class struggle Proletariat/bourgeois/capitalist Ideology and superstructure Materialism Upper class/working class/lower class

Marxist Criticism Process 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. Challenge the assumptions! Look for good guys/bad guys—who is oppressing whom?

Marxist Criticism Example Those with power at the start of the film are members of an elite class of male military leaders. Those challenging the power are members of a middle/working class who are unhappy with the leadership/oppression of the Empire. The members of the Empire underestimate the power of the lower class rebels and overestimate their own power which leads to their destruction.

Psychological Criticism Focus/Key Ideas Psychological criticism is heavily influenced by Freudian theory. Reading a literary work is a way of experiencing the consciousness of the author. It examines the internal mental states, desires, and motivations of characters.

Psychological Criticism Terms Conscious/ Preconscious/ Unconscious Id/ego/super ego: Id is natural instinct, cares only about needs of self; the ego understand needs of others, but must still attain individual needs; and the super-ego is the conscience, the moral side Child development: Oedipal complex/ Electra complex Stages of development Repression

Psychological Criticism Process Try to explain characters’ actions, motivations and attitudes. 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.

Psychological Criticism Example As a result of his father’s early death, Luke clings to Obi Wan as a father figure. He trusts him with little to no reason to do so because he is searching for a father to emulate. Han solo is driven by greed and self- preservation above all. Detached from the human race, his closest confident is a wookie. He struggles with desire to help only himself and his new connection to Luke and Leia.

The End Stop here! 

Reader-Response Criticism Focus/Key Ideas A piece of literature is an interaction between the reader and the text-like a piece of sheet music to be performed by a musician The reader constructs the meaning of the text as she reads The reader brings his own unique insights to the text, and the text is influenced by the reader’s individual values and expectations This does NOT mean that ALL interpretations are correct—they still need to be plausible 

Reader-Response Criticism Terms Expectations and anticipations Assumptions Actual reader/ideal reader Gaps Process Ambiguity Constraints of the text

Reader-Response Criticism Process Consider your expectations before reading. How does who you are affect your reading of the text—your social class, world experience, age, gender, etc.? Pay attention to thought process as you read—what did you notice right away? What questions did you have? Why did you have them? Look for “gaps”—things the text doesn’t tell us—and how you were able to fill them in Did your ideas and perceptions change as you read? What adjustments did you make in your understanding?

Reader-Response Criticism Example The reader begins by expecting Hamlet to be a classic tragic hero. The reader begins by understanding Hamlet as a simple character motivated by grief for and loyalty to his father and the reader begins to empathize/identify with him. As the play develops, understanding of the character becomes more complex—flaws and weaknesses emerge that make the reader doubt the purity of Hamlet’s motives and the reality of the ghost. Reader might feel impatient or frustrated –lose empathy. At the end of the play, Hamlet’s death feels like a release of frustration, as the reader empathizes with Hamlet’s inevitable sacrifice of self for his ideals.

Deconstructionism Focus/Key Ideas Assumes texts do NOT have fixed meanings “Assumes that language is unstable and ambiguous…” And therefore “that a literary text is usually self-contradictory” Focuses on what the texts reveal the “authors were unaware of or thought they kept safely out of sight” Deconstruction is NOT destruction—simply picking apart Deconstructionists often have radical re-readings of classic texts

Deconstruction Key Terms Binary opposition Black/white Good/evil Male/female Emotional/logical Hierarchy – each binary opposition is a mini hierarchy; one concept is considered superior, even if only slightly Subtext / Multiple narratives Subversion

Deconstructionism Process Use close reading techniques to show what the author tried to keep hidden/wasn’t aware of in text (subtext) Look for the underlying binary opposition(s) in a text Decide which element in the opposition(s) the author finds superior (hierarchy) Use close reading techniques (looking at language, syntax, etc.) to show how the text does NOT really support these hierarchies

Deconstructionism Example One binary opposition in Hamlet is male/female Shakespeare (based on his character’s actions/words and based on the popular ideology of the time) considers the male element to be superior to the female But both female characters, however, are superior to Hamlet (and the other men) in terms of his tragic flaw: But both ARE able to act—unlike Hamlet. Gertrude gets over her husband’s death much better than Hamlet. Ophelia commits suicide immediately when she can’t bear life

Deconstructionism Example--continued Other binary oppositions in Hamlet include Man/God Corruption/Innocence Life/Death