STRUCTURALISM Humans need to structure the world, to make order out of disorder. Every human culture has some sort of language, social organization (government), system for who can marry whom, system for exchanging goods. Structures are universal. Structuralists believe that structures are a product of the human mind, not something that is inherent in the outside world.

Structuralists are interested in the interrelationship between UNITS and RULES (units of a system and rules that make it work) EXAMPLE: Letters make up words which are Units, and grammar are the rules that make it work. Units: 26 letters in English alphabet, Rules: grammar. In different languages grammar rules and words are different, but structure is still the same: words put together using rules makes meaning.

A Structure is a conceptual system with the following 3 properties: Wholeness – system functions as a whole, not just as a collection of independent parts. (cannot play with individual KNEX) Transformation – system not static, capable of change. New units can enter but they are governed by same system, same rules (can change parts, but governed by the same rules) Self-regulation – related to transformation. Can add elements to system but can’t change basic structure of the system. A transformation of the system can never lead to anything outside the system. Can add stuff but rules never change. (Fundamental rule that KNEX rods go into KNEX holes does not change). Structures change according to their own rules, without the need for an external intervention.

Other Important Points about Structuralism: Structuralist critics of literature study shared systems of meaning, such as genres or myths that pass from one country or period to another, rather than in isolation (flood myths) Often focuses on opposites (night vs. day, feminine vs. masculine) Structuralists stress the idea that each word must be defined using other words

Possible short-comings of this approach: Disregards authorial intent because (s)he is “constructed” Not looking for correct interpretation, looking for how meaning is generated or how a text fits into a system Less concern with historical context Treats literature as if it were an organized scientific body of knowledge Text is not unique

How to do: Focus on structure, showing how text reifies (to convert into or regard as a concrete thing) that structure Look for rules that govern interpretive choices Identify codes that operate in texts (scene is coded for wealth) Identify and discuss significance of binary oppositions since differences generate meaning (good/evil, male/female, etc.)

Example of manner in which words alter over time: Saturday Night Live Skit, “Career Retrospective”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9RGU356Mi0&index=16&list=PLS_gQd8U B-hKmK9Q2h4soEjFk2BUyVn-e