LITERARY CRITICISM A Review of Theories

READER RESPONSE  Things to remember:  The reader’s personal response to the text is the most important element…  SO… this means that a text that would make for a good reader response critique ELICITS or CAUSES the reader to feel EMOTIONS  NOTE: Rule out ALL other theories BEFORE choosing this one. Most good literature causes you to feel something!

HISTORICAL  Things to remember:  How does the text reflect the culture?  Look for MAJOR historical events from the time period in which the text was written.

SOCIAL CLASS  Things to remember:  Look for divisions in people based on money or power  Look for class divisions based on race, culture, or politics

PSYCHOLOGICAL  Things to remember:  Look for psychological motivations, state of mind, feelings, and desires of the characters involved.  Be aware of troubling pasts that may contribute to the character’s state of mind.

EXAMPLE #1 Within a day or two [of moving to our new home], I had made the acquaintance of a boy that lived on the next block of our dead end street. My new friend had an easy smile, loved to ride bikes and had a shiny new baseball glove that he was all set to start breaking in. One afternoon, we met at a churchyard that was between both our homes and had a great time playing Catch until dusk came, when our mothers began to call us in for supper. Over the next several days, we played more Catch, tossed around a football, and rode our bikes the three blocks to the old-fashioned icehouse, which sported candy and soft drinks. Both of us seemed to be having a great time. There was one factor that proved to be difficult for some people to handle. I am white and my new friend was black. SOCIAL CLASS

EXAMPLE #1 Within a day or two [of moving to our new home], I had made the acquaintance of a boy that lived on the next block of our dead end street. My new friend had an easy smile, loved to ride bikes and had a shiny new baseball glove that he was all set to start breaking in. One afternoon, we met at a churchyard that was between both our homes and had a great time playing Catch until dusk came, when our mothers began to call us in for supper. Over the next several days, we played more Catch, tossed around a football, and rode our bikes the three blocks to the old-fashioned icehouse, which sported candy and soft drinks. Both of us seemed to be having a great time. There was one factor that proved to be difficult for some people to handle. I am white and my new friend was black. SOCIAL CLASS

EXAMPLE #2 I saw the hooded man walking toward me like a spider coming home to its web. He stopped in front of me with a knife clutched in his hand. Without hesitation I pulled the knife from my belt and jabbed him in the side of the leg with it. As he collapsed, he swung his knife toward me cutting a deep gash in my arm. The man’s screams echoed through the hills around us as I struck his thigh with my knife. He doubled over in pain and I saw my chance. I tackled him to the ground and pinned him down. I needed to know something before I did anything else. With the blade of my knife up to his neck, I asked, “Why them?” The man looked into my face and recognized my children’s eyes in mine. He then smiled, “Because they were home.” I smiled back, and thrust my knife through his heart. PSYCHOLOGICAL

EXAMPLE #2 I saw the hooded man walking toward me like a spider coming home to its web. He stopped in front of me with a knife clutched in his hand. Without hesitation I pulled the knife from my belt and jabbed him in the side of the leg with it. As he collapsed, he swung his knife toward me cutting a deep gash in my arm. The man’s screams echoed through the hills around us as I struck his thigh with my knife. He doubled over in pain and I saw my chance. I tackled him to the ground and pinned him down. I needed to know something before I did anything else. With the blade of my knife up to his neck, I asked, “Why them?” The man looked into my face and recognized my children’s eyes in mine. He then smiled, “Because they were home.” I smiled back, and thrust my knife through his heart. PSYCHOLOGICAL

EXAMPLE #3 My life changed so dramatically on July 26, 2009, that I sometimes wonder if I'm still the same person. I used to hear stories of awful tragedies and think of all the reasons it could never happen to me. I found out that the unthinkable can happen to any of us. On that Sunday afternoon Diane Schuler drove a minivan the wrong way on the Taconic Parkway in New York and slammed headfirst into an oncoming SUV. Eight people died in the collision, including three little girls who were sitting in the minivan's backseat. I am the mother of those beautiful girls: Emma, Alyson, and Katie, ages 8, 7, and 5. READER RESPONSE

EXAMPLE #3 My life changed so dramatically on July 26, 2009, that I sometimes wonder if I'm still the same person. I used to hear stories of awful tragedies and think of all the reasons it could never happen to me. I found out that the unthinkable can happen to any of us. On that Sunday afternoon Diane Schuler drove a minivan the wrong way on the Taconic Parkway in New York and slammed headfirst into an oncoming SUV. Eight people died in the collision, including three little girls who were sitting in the minivan's backseat. I am the mother of those beautiful girls: Emma, Alyson, and Katie, ages 8, 7, and 5. READER RESPONSE

EXAMPLE #4 The morning of the zero hour was all planned out. About twenty minutes before the barrage opened up we were brought out into "No Man's Land" about two hundred yards in front of our first line. Well we got out there alright and we got into a little shell hole for cover on account of the flying shrapnel. All at once every gun in back of us opens up fire all the shells landing right in front of us...So there we were in this little shell hole with our shells landing in front of us and Jerry's in back of us. The shells were so close at times that they had us buried with dirt... The Corporal sticks his head up and gets hit with shrapnel so we bandaged him up a bit and leave him there in the shell hole. So we start out for Jerry's front line keeping after our artillery barrage. Well we get up there alright and killed all the Germans we seen. Most of them put up their hands and hollered Kamrad. When your back was turned they would let loose with a machine gun. So it was a case of kill them before they get you. HISTORICAL

EXAMPLE #4 The morning of the zero hour was all planned out. About twenty minutes before the barrage opened up we were brought out into "No Man's Land" about two hundred yards in front of our first line. Well we got out there alright and we got into a little shell hole for cover on account of the flying shrapnel. All at once every gun in back of us opens up fire all the shells landing right in front of us...So there we were in this little shell hole with our shells landing in front of us and Jerry's in back of us. The shells were so close at times that they had us buried with dirt... The Corporal sticks his head up and gets hit with shrapnel so we bandaged him up a bit and leave him there in the shell hole. So we start out for Jerry's front line keeping after our artillery barrage. Well we get up there alright and killed all the Germans we seen. Most of them put up their hands and hollered Kamrad. When your back was turned they would let loose with a machine gun. So it was a case of kill them before they get you. HISTORICAL