1. for biocultural literary criticism
Analytic Concepts
for biocultural literary criticism

3. Four Levels
of Analysis
in a
Biocultural Critique

4. Human nature

5. Human nature
Specific cultures

6. Human nature
Specific cultures
Individual artists

7. Human nature Specific cultures Individual artists Particular works of

8. Human nature

9. Human nature
Motives,
Passions
= Human life history

10. Human nature

11. Human nature

12. Human nature
Specific cultures

13. Human nature
Specific cultures

14. Human nature
Specific cultures

15. Human nature
Specific cultures

16. Human nature
Specific cultures

17. Human nature
Specific cultures

18. Human nature
Specific cultures
Individual artists

19. Human nature
Specific cultures
Individual artists

20. Human nature Specific cultures Individual artists Particular works of

21. Human nature
Specific cultures
Individual artists

22. Human nature Specific cultures Individual artists Particular works of

24. Let’s look
more closely into
that inner circle—
the particular work
of literary art.

26. in any interpretive analysis of fictional narrative.
Here are the units
of analysis
in any interpretive analysis
of fictional narrative.

28. You—the reader

29. You—the reader
The Meaning and Effect of the Story

30. The Meaning and Effect of the Story
You—the reader
The Meaning and Effect of the Story
Depicted action

31. The Meaning and Effect of the Story
You—the reader
The Meaning and Effect of the Story
Depicted action
Actual and implied author

32. The Meaning and Effect of the Story
You—the reader
The Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers
Depicted action
Actual and implied author

33. Formal organization of the narrative
You—the reader
The Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers
Depicted action
Actual and implied author
Formal organization of the narrative

34. The Meaning and Effect of the Story

35. The Meaning and Effect of the Story
Depicted action:

36. The Meaning and Effect of the Story
Depicted action:
characters, setting, and plot

37. The Meaning and Effect of the Story Actual and implied author:
Depicted action:
characters, setting, and plot
Actual and implied author:

38. The Meaning and Effect of the Story Actual and implied author:
Depicted action:
characters, setting, and plot
Actual and implied author:
persona, stance, point of view

39. The Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers:
Depicted action:
characters, setting, and plot
Actual and implied author:
persona, stance, point of view

40. The Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers:
knowledge, values, responses
Depicted action:
characters, setting, and plot
Actual and implied author:
persona, stance, point of view

41. The Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers:
knowledge, values, responses
Depicted action:
characters, setting, and plot
Actual and implied author:
persona, stance, point of view
Formal organization of the narrative:

42. The Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers:
knowledge, values, responses
Depicted action:
characters, setting, and plot
Actual and implied author:
persona, stance, point of view
Formal organization of the narrative:
manner of narration
epistolary, omniscient narrator, participant narrator, free indirect discourse, stream of consciousness, etc.

43. The Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers:
knowledge, values, responses
Depicted action:
characters, setting, and plot
Actual and implied author:
persona, stance, point of view
Formal organization of the narrative:
manner of narration
epistolary, omniscient narrator, participant narrator, free indirect discourse, stream of consciousness, etc.
Narrative structure
scene and summary, exposition and description, pacing, temporal sequencing, etc.

44. The Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers:
knowledge, values, responses
Depicted action:
characters, setting, and plot
Actual and implied author:
persona, stance, point of view
Formal organization of the narrative:
manner of narration
epistolary, omniscient narrator, participant narrator, free indirect discourse, stream of consciousness, etc.
Narrative structure
scene and summary, exposition and description, pacing, temporal sequencing, etc.
Style
word choice, syntax, rhetorical rhythm, sentence and paragraph structure, figures of speech, imagery, symbols, etc.

46. Those are the parts
of the
story you interpret.

48. What about
you,
the interpreter?

50. Formal organization of the narrative
You—the reader
The Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers
Depicted action
Actual and implied author
Formal organization of the narrative

51. You—the reader
The Meaning and Effect of the Story

52. You—the reader, the critic, the person who makes sense of it all

53. You—the reader, the critic, the person who makes sense of it all
Your stance, identity, point of view:

54. You—the reader, the critic, the person who makes sense of it all
Your stance, identity, point of view:
Your attitudes, beliefs, feelings, tastes, needs, interests

55. You—the reader, the critic, the person who makes sense of it all
Your stance, identity, point of view:
Your attitudes, beliefs, feelings, tastes, needs, interests
Your general knowledge

56. You—the reader, the critic, the person who makes sense of it all
Your stance, identity, point of view:
Your attitudes, beliefs, feelings, tastes, needs, interests
Your general knowledge
Your specific scholarly knowledge relevant to this text

57. You—the reader, the critic, the person who makes sense of it all
Your stance, identity, point of view:
Your attitudes, beliefs, feelings, tastes, needs, interests
Your general knowledge
Your specific scholarly knowledge relevant to this text
Your theoretical ideas about literature

58. Your theoretical ideas about literature

59. Your theoretical ideas about literature
Traditional humanism (pluralist theory subordinated to common knowledge)
Your theoretical ideas about literature

60. Your theoretical ideas about literature
Traditional humanism (pluralist theory subordinated to common knowledge)
Economics and sociology (Marxism, Foucauldian cultural theory)
Your theoretical ideas about literature

61. Your theoretical ideas about literature
Traditional humanism (pluralist theory subordinated to common knowledge)
Economics and sociology (Marxism, Foucauldian cultural theory)
Speculative psychology (Freudianism, Jungian archetypalism)
Your theoretical ideas about literature

62. Your theoretical ideas about literature
Traditional humanism (pluralist theory subordinated to common knowledge)
Economics and sociology (Marxism, Foucauldian cultural theory)
Speculative psychology (Freudianism, Jungian archetypalism)
Gender theory (feminism, queer theory)
Your theoretical ideas about literature

63. Your theoretical ideas about literature
Traditional humanism (pluralist theory subordinated to common knowledge)
Economics and sociology (Marxism, Foucauldian cultural theory)
Speculative psychology (Freudianism, Jungian archetypalism)
Gender theory (feminism, queer theory)
Linguistic theory (deconstruction, speech-act theory)
Your theoretical ideas about literature

64. Your theoretical ideas about literature
Traditional humanism (pluralist theory subordinated to common knowledge)
Economics and sociology (Marxism, Foucauldian cultural theory)
Speculative psychology (Freudianism, Jungian archetypalism)
Gender theory (feminism, queer theory)
Linguistic theory (deconstruction, speech-act theory)
Biology (literary Darwinism)
Your theoretical ideas about literature

65. Biology (literary Darwinism)

66. Biology (literary Darwinism)
Evolutionary biology encompasses
the subject areas of the other theories:

67. Biology (literary Darwinism)
Evolutionary biology encompasses
the subject areas of the other theories:
socioeconomics,

68. Biology (literary Darwinism)
Evolutionary biology encompasses
the subject areas of the other theories:
socioeconomics,
psychology,

69. Biology (literary Darwinism)
Evolutionary biology encompasses
the subject areas of the other theories:
socioeconomics,
psychology,
gender,

70. Biology (literary Darwinism)
Evolutionary biology encompasses
the subject areas of the other theories:
socioeconomics,
psychology,
gender,
and language.

71. Biology (literary Darwinism)

72. Biology (literary Darwinism)
Evolutionary biology
is comprehensive,

73. Biology (literary Darwinism) but it is not pluralistic.
Evolutionary biology
is comprehensive,
but it is not pluralistic.

74. Biology (literary Darwinism)
Evolutionary biology
is comprehensive,
but it is not pluralistic.
It is a scientific paradigm.

75. Biology (literary Darwinism)
Evolutionary biology
is comprehensive,
but it is not pluralistic.
It is a scientific paradigm.
It replaces obsolete speculative theories
and puts knowledge about their subject areas
on a sound scientific footing.

77. Biocultural Literary Criticism
You—the reader, the critic, the person who makes sense of it all
Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers
The implied author
The depicted behaviors: characters, setting, and plot
The formal organization of the narrative

78. Biocultural Literary Criticism
You—the reader, the critic, the person who makes sense of it all
Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers
Biocultural Complex
The implied author
The depicted behaviors: characters, setting, and plot
The formal organization of the narrative

79. Biocultural Literary Criticism
You—the reader, the critic, the person who makes sense of it all
Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers
Biocultural Complex
Human universals: motives, emotions, personality traits, social dynamics
The implied author
The depicted behaviors: characters, setting, and plot
The formal organization of the narrative

80. Biocultural Literary Criticism
You—the reader, the critic, the person who makes sense of it all
Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers
Biocultural Complex
Human universals: motives, emotions, personality traits, social dynamics
The implied author
The depicted behaviors: characters, setting, and plot
A specific cultural context: social organization, religion, myths, ideologies, artistic traditions, conventional forms
The formal organization of the narrative

81. Biocultural Literary Criticism
You—the reader, the critic, the person who makes sense of it all
Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers
Biocultural Complex
Human universals: motives, emotions, personality traits, social dynamics
The implied author
The depicted behaviors: characters, setting, and plot
A specific cultural context: social organization, religion, myths, ideologies, artistic traditions, conventional forms
The formal organization of the narrative

82. Biocultural Literary Criticism
You—the reader, the critic, the person who makes sense of it all
Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers
Biocultural Complex
Human universals: motives, emotions, personality traits, social dynamics
The implied author
The depicted behaviors: characters, setting, and plot
A specific cultural context: social organization, religion, myths, ideologies, artistic traditions, conventional forms
The formal organization of the narrative

83. Meaning and Effect of the Story Actual and implied readers
Biocultural Complex
Human universals: motives, emotions, personality traits, social dynamics
The implied author
The depicted behaviors: characters, setting, and plot
A specific cultural context: social organization, religion, myths, ideologies, artistic traditions, conventional forms
The formal organization of the narrative

84. For a biocultural critic, the depicted action, the implied author,
the organization of the narrative,
and the responses of readers
are all located
in a biocultural context.
Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers
Biocultural Complex
Human universals: motives, emotions, personality traits, social dynamics
The implied author
The depicted behaviors: characters, setting, and plot
A specific cultural context: social organization, religion, myths, ideologies, artistic traditions, conventional forms
The formal organization of the narrative

85. Meaning and Effect of the Story Actual and implied readers
Biocultural Complex
Human universals: motives, emotions, personality traits, social dynamics
The implied author
The depicted behaviors: characters, setting, and plot
A specific cultural context: social organization, religion, myths, ideologies, artistic traditions, conventional forms
The formal organization of the narrative

86. Human nature and culture
Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers
Biocultural Complex
Human universals: motives, emotions, personality traits, social dynamics
The implied author
The depicted behaviors: characters, setting, and plot
A specific cultural context: social organization, religion, myths, ideologies, artistic traditions, conventional forms
The formal organization of the narrative

87. Individual artist and particular work of art Human nature and culture
Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers
Biocultural Complex
Human universals: motives, emotions, personality traits, social dynamics
The implied author
The depicted behaviors: characters, setting, and plot
A specific cultural context: social organization, religion, myths, ideologies, artistic traditions, conventional forms
The formal organization of the narrative

89. To illustrate
these categories,
I’ll fill them in
with terms from
Yu Hua’s novel
To Live.

91. Biocultural Literary Criticism
You—the reader, the critic, the person who makes sense of it all
Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers
Biocultural Complex
Human nature: motives, emotions, personality traits, social dynamics
The implied author
The depicted behaviors: characters, setting, and plot
A specific cultural context: social organization, religion, myths, ideologies, artistic traditions, conventional forms
Functional structure of the parts

92. Biocultural Literary Criticism
You—the reader, the critic, the person who makes sense of it all
Meaning and Effect of the Story
Actual and implied readers of To Live
Biocultural Complex
Human nature
Yu Hua
The life of Xu Fugui
China in the Maoist period
Narrative structure of To Live

94. Thanks
for
your
Attention.