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The World of Literary Theory Feminist/Gender Psychological Marxist Cultural
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Psychological Criticism Based on Freud’s theory of the unconscious The unconscious is expressed through symbol and dream The conscious mind represses unconscious drives Literature is a form of dream which reveals the author’s subconscious inner life Psychoanalytic principles can reveal inner lives of fictional characters Psychologically based literary techniques: stream of consciousness Based on Freud’s theory of the unconscious The unconscious is expressed through symbol and dream The conscious mind represses unconscious drives Literature is a form of dream which reveals the author’s subconscious inner life Psychoanalytic principles can reveal inner lives of fictional characters Psychologically based literary techniques: stream of consciousness
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Psychological Criticism Considers the psychological relationship between the text and the reader: “the text contains a secret expression of what the reader WANTS to hear” (Griffin) Based on Lacan’s theory: the unconscious is created by language and thus is structured like language Considers the psychological relationship between the text and the reader: “the text contains a secret expression of what the reader WANTS to hear” (Griffin) Based on Lacan’s theory: the unconscious is created by language and thus is structured like language
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Feminist/Gender Male literary hegemony ignores women authors and misinterprets women characters False and stereotypical images of women New development: focus on masculinity and feminity Considers female language (gynocriticsim): the language of the mother, female literary forms/styles (circular plots, narratives), rejects the “marriage plot,” the female body and fluidity Considers the cultural creation of feminine identity: sex vs. gender, normal vs. abnormal Male literary hegemony ignores women authors and misinterprets women characters False and stereotypical images of women New development: focus on masculinity and feminity Considers female language (gynocriticsim): the language of the mother, female literary forms/styles (circular plots, narratives), rejects the “marriage plot,” the female body and fluidity Considers the cultural creation of feminine identity: sex vs. gender, normal vs. abnormal
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Feminist/Gender Considers stereotypes of female characteristics/attributes: passive, irrational,subjective, domestic, spiritual, impractical Considers the differences BETWEEN women in relationship to race, class, and economic status Delves into the oppression and erasure of women by other women Considers stereotypes of female characteristics/attributes: passive, irrational,subjective, domestic, spiritual, impractical Considers the differences BETWEEN women in relationship to race, class, and economic status Delves into the oppression and erasure of women by other women
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Marxist Literature is a product of its environment Literature reflects societal tensions (bourgeois vs. proletariat) as described by Marx Awareness of class, race, and sexism Elucidates HOW social forces operate within the text Literature is a product of its environment Literature reflects societal tensions (bourgeois vs. proletariat) as described by Marx Awareness of class, race, and sexism Elucidates HOW social forces operate within the text
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Marxist Offers a critique of capitalism and how it impedes social utopia/wholeness Focuses on content and not aesthetics Marxist art must offer social solutions Offers a critique of capitalism and how it impedes social utopia/wholeness Focuses on content and not aesthetics Marxist art must offer social solutions
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Cultural/Historicism Politically oriented with sympathy for marginalized groups Considers culture, discourse, ideology, the self, and history The text is society’s system for encoding meaning- everything produced by a society is open to interpretation- there is no HIGH/low art Politically oriented with sympathy for marginalized groups Considers culture, discourse, ideology, the self, and history The text is society’s system for encoding meaning- everything produced by a society is open to interpretation- there is no HIGH/low art
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Cultural/Historicism Discourses are systems of codes shared by groups, thus sources of POWER Groups with power impose their ideology on others (hegemony)- such as bourgeois, males, the wealthy, or even nations (colonialism) Ideology always marginalizes somebody (always an “other”) Priviliged ideology suppresses contradictory viewpoints without others even recognizing it (hegemony) Discourses are systems of codes shared by groups, thus sources of POWER Groups with power impose their ideology on others (hegemony)- such as bourgeois, males, the wealthy, or even nations (colonialism) Ideology always marginalizes somebody (always an “other”) Priviliged ideology suppresses contradictory viewpoints without others even recognizing it (hegemony)
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Cultural/Historicism The self is created by culture Literature must be studied in terms of how it was produced Literature must be studied in relation to power structures in society The self is created by culture Literature must be studied in terms of how it was produced Literature must be studied in relation to power structures in society
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