1. LITERARY THEORIES & CRITICISM
A Quick Overview

2. What would happen…

3. …We must constantly look at things in a different way…When you read, don’t just consider what the author thinks, consider what YOU think.

4. What is Literary Theory/Criticism?
Studies devoted to the comparison, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of works of literature.
The term "criticism" is derived from the Greek word kritikos, meaning a "judge."
Simply, a method for readers to “judge”/interpret what they believe a text is about, states or represents

5. Why Literary Criticism?
Literary theories provides readers alternative ways of “seeing” or reading/interpreting a text (Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”)
Stimulates readers and deepens meaning in a text by showing how there may be multiple interpretations of the same text
Sharpens one’s critical thinking skills
Empowers readers to find their own interpretations/readings of a text

6. Literary Criticism Examples
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (Historical/Sociological)
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies (Sociological)
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” (Feminist)
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” (Mythological/Hero Journey)
Victor Fleming’s The Wizard of Oz (Psychoanalytical)

7. Other Examples…
In Film and Image

8. “Reading” The Godfather
Good escapist fun/action (aesthetic)
Spin on the mafia/gangster” genre (archetypal)
Greek tragedy/Tragic Hero (mythological/archetypal)
Dysfunctional families (sociological)
The failure of the American Dream & its leaders (historical/sociological)
Trying to live up to your father’s example (psychological)
Showing mafia as ordinary people with real problems (mimetic)
Try the same with The Sopranos or Scarface

9. “Reading” The Lion King
Action/adventure (aesthetic)
Good vs Evil (archetypal)
Coming of age tale (archetypal/mythological)
Hero journey (mythological)
African culture (sociological)