New Historicism

What is New Historicist Criticism? New Historicism attempts to interpret a work by examining the historical and cultural context in which a work was created as well as the unique concerns that modern readers bring to historical texts. New Historicists are interested in primary sources that touch on issues that a work addresses such as contemporary (published at the same time as the work) newspaper articles, letters, studies, and other documents that shed light on how the culture that produced the work would have viewed it. New Historicists recognize that there are multiple cultural contexts that produce a reading of a work, and are interested in how these contexts work with (and sometimes against) each other.

What Questions do New Historicist Critics Ask? What issues in this work would have been particularly relevant to its original audience? What primary sources from the period might help us to understand this issue’s historical importance? How does this work either support or rebel against the dominant social and cultural assumptions of its time? History is not simply objective facts – review page 1230 How do our own social and cultural assumptions affect our reading of this work?

“The Yellow Wallpaper” and New Historicist Criticism Based on what you read in your Critical Theory Section, can someone share your understanding of New Historicist Criticism? How is it different from “traditional” literary historians who focus only on the author’s life, general historical background, and other works in the same time period? To put it another way, what do New Historicists add to the historical perspective? What did the New Historicist Critic have to say about “The Yellow Wallpaper”?

Charlotte Perkins Gilman  (July 3, 1860 – August 17, 1935) was a prominent American feminist, sociologist, novelist, writer of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Her best remembered work today is her semi-autobiographical short story “The Yellow Paper" which she wrote after a severe  postpartum depression. Gilman married Charles Stetson in 1884, and less than a year later gave birth to their daughter Katharine. Already susceptible to depression, her symptoms were worsened by marriage and motherhood. On April 18, 1887, Gilman wrote in her diary that she was very sick with "some brain disease" which brought suffering that cannot be felt by anybody else, to the point that her "mind has given way.” After nine weeks, Gilman was sent home with Mitchell's instructions, "Live as domestic a life as possible. Have your child with you all the time... Lie down an hour after each meal. Have but two hours' intellectual life a day. And never touch pen, brush or pencil as long as you live." She tried for a few months to follow Mitchell's advice, but her depression deepened, and Gilman came perilously close to a full emotional collapse Ultimately, she committed suicide a year after her husband from her second marriage (her cousin) died and she found out she had inoperable breast cancer.

Postpartum depression What historical/biographical facts from her own experience and time period has the author used in The Yellow Wallpaper? Postpartum depression Clearly what she is describing despite the fact that it was not considered a real illness at the time. The term for it didn’t even exist. Doctor Mitchell A husband who didn’t understand her A time period when women were trapped by the structure of family, male-dominated medicine, and traditions

Does the story give us any insight into what little we know about the author’s real-life illness? "Half the time now I am awfully lazy, and lie down ever so much. John says I mustn't lose my strength, and has me take cod liver oil and lots of tonics and things, to say nothing of ale and wine and rare meat." "He says no one but myself can help me out of it, that I must use my will and self-control and not let any silly fancies run away with me." Firstly, we can see how Gilman felt when she was sick in her real life. We also can interpret from the words “John says I mustn't..” that she was expected listen to her husband and do what he said, so we see the position of women within the institution of marriage.

Does the story give us any insight into what little we know about the author’s real-life illness? From next example we can understand that in Gillman’s life there was a distinction between the “domestic” functions of the female and “active” work of male. Also, note the resignation in “But what is one to do?”. Women did whatever they had been told to do, even if it went against their own instincts and logic. Same with the main character in The Yellow Wallpaper. “I …am absolutely forbidden “to work” until I am well again. Personally, I believe that congenial work…would do me good. But what is one to do?”

How do the facts about the author’s life increase our understanding of the text? From Gilman’s biography we know that she was sent to doctor Mitchell, who believed that depression was brought on by too much mental activity and not enough attention to domestic affairs. For Gilman this course of treatment was disaster. At her worst she was reduced to crawling into closets and under beds. Once she abandoned Mitchell’s rest cure, her conditions improved. Mitchell is mentioned by name in Gilman’s story: “John says if I don’t pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall. But I don’t want to go there at all. I had a friend who was in his hands once, she says he is just like John and my brother, only more so!”(no help) Without biographical information we would not be able to understand why she didn’t like him.

BUT: New Historicist Criticism is NOT just about the Author’s Life! All texts are related to other texts. Things we have read influence how we write. Texts that are NOT the primary text we are examining can tell us a lot about our primary text. History books can help shape meaning in the literature we are reading. Insights from our psychology class can give us a new understanding of a novel. It is also about intertextuality This is the idea that texts can give us insights about other texts. Especially that texts from other disciplines can give us insight into literature History Psychology Sociology Even Math and Science!

The Vocabulary of Literary Criticism

The Vocabulary of Literary Criticism Many literary terms describe how an author communicates his or her ideas. You will see writers of LitCrit essays using these words to describe the text. YOU can use these words in your own essay too! Look through the text and try to identify some of methods he or she uses to convey the patterns of ideas you are most interested in. characterization: the author's expression of a character's personality through the use of action, dialogue, thought, or commentary by the narrator or another character. conflict: the struggle within the story. Character divided against self, character against character, character against society, character against nature, character against God. Without it, there is no story. dialogue: vocal exchange between two or more characters. One of the ways in which plot, character, action, etc. are developed.

The Vocabulary of Literary Criticism imagery: the collection of images within a literary work. Used to evoke atmosphere, mood, tension. For example, images of crowded, steaming sidewalks flanking streets choked with lines of shimmering, smoking cars suggests oppressive heat and all the psychological tensions that go with it. point of view: the vantage point from which the author presents action of the story. Who is telling the story? An all-knowing author? A voice limited to the views of one character? The voice and thoughts of one character? Does the author change point of view in the story? Why? Point of view is often considered the technical aspect of fiction which leads the critic most readily into the problems and meanings of the story. symbol: related to imagery. It is something which is itself yet stands for or means something else. It tends to be more singular, a bit more fixed than imagery. For example, in Lessing's "A Woman on a Roof," the brief red sun suit seems to symbolize the woman's freedom and independence from externally imposed standards of behavior. tone: suggests an attitude toward the subject which is communicated by the words the author chooses. Part of the range of tone includes playful, somber, serious, casual, formal, ironic. Important because it designates the mood and effect of a work.

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