1. LITERARY CRITICISM SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT, CONCEPTS, KEY TERMS, AND PROCESS

2. LITERARY THEORY IS LIKE A PAIR OF GLASSES IT PROVIDES (CRITICAL) LENSES DESIGNED TO BRING OUT WHAT IS ALREADY THERE, BUT WHAT IS OFTEN MISSED WITH UNAIDED VISION.

3. CRITIC VS. LITERARY CRITICISM A critic is one likes or dislikes a book, movie, or a dinner. A critic does evaluate but only on the basis of personal preference. Literary Criticism is criticism not because it is negative or corrective, but because the people writing the criticism ask hard, analytical, crucial, or “critical” questions about the works they read.

4. WHAT IS NOT LITERARY CRITICISM Book Reviews Newspaper Articles Wikipedia Ask.com Literary Criticism must be published in an academic paper or journal.

5. You will learn to read texts from a range of perspectives – archetypal, feminist, marxist, & psychoanalytical.

6. THE PROPONENTS OF EACH THEORY BELIEVE THEIR THEORY IS THE THEORY, BUT MOST OF US INTERPRET TEXTS ACCORDING TO THE RULES OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT THEORIES AT ONE TIME.

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

8. Archetypal/Mythological Criticism Archetypal story patterns: –Hero/ quest –initiation/coming of age –the underworld –birth/death/rebirth –seasons Archetypal characters: –scapegoat –trickster –wise old man/woman –paradise –father figure/earth mother Terms/Concepts

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

10. Archetypal/Mythological Criticism look for underlying patterns that reveal universal meanings look at characters, images, and symbols RESEARCHRESEARCH the archetypes that you think applies to your story Process

11. Feminist/Gender Criticism Literary canon controlled by men—we also need to pay attention to women’s perspectives. Leaving them out limits our understanding of the world. Men are also affected by gender stereotypes. Women have different ways of speaking and writing than men do—they use different symbols, metaphors, etc. Focus/Key Ideas

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

13. Feminist/Gender Criticism 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 Process

14. Marxist Criticism Similar to feminist criticism Points out that socioeconomic forces affect people: characters, authors, readers Exposes inequalities in power and access caused by social and economic class Focus/Key Ideas

15. Marxist Criticism Terms Class Class struggle Proletariat/bourgeois/capitalist Repression Materialism Upper class/working class/lowER class

16. Marxist Criticism 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 Look at themes/conflicts rather than structure/techniques Process

17. Psychological / Psychoanalytical Criticism Focus/Key Ideas Heavily influenced by Freudian theory Reading a literary work is a way of experiencing the consciousness of the author Examines the internal mental states, desires, and motivations of characters

18. Psychological / Psychoanalytical Criticism Terms Motivation Unconscious/subconscious Oedipal complex / Electra complex Psyche Id/ego/super ego Repression Latent vs. manifest

19. Psychological / Psychoanalytical Criticism Process 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

20. Where to Find Legitimate Literary Criticism http://www.lfcc.edu/library/ http://www.theliteraryindex.com/authors.html https://www.etap.org/demo/englishhs/lesson5/lesson.html http://www.rc.umd.edu/praxis/