Literary Theory Flashcards
new criticism
a theory that examines literature purely through formal elements & composition of the text, believing that outside implications have no value in analysis
russian formalism
a theory that analyzes mechanical structure exclusively and its contribution to meaning
naturalism
the application of scientific principles
objective correlative
a group of events that evoke emotion
describe the historical context of formalism
core concepts traced back to 400 BCE - 1700 CE found in medieval, renaissance, and classical works
gained more attention in the romantic era in 1790-1850
who were the key contributors to formalism?
the fugitives: John Crowe Ransom, Allen Tate, Robert Penn Warren, and Cleanth Brooks↔the first to extensively develop formalism
Thomas Stearns Eliot→a formalist theorist whose poetry and critical essays reaffirmed and influenced the formation of the methodology
Ivor Armstrong Richards→a formalist theorist whose works contributed to the foundation of the theory
Victor Shklovsky→pioneer Russian formalist who is best known for his development of the concept of defamiliarization
what are the limitations of formalism
too rigid + neglectful of diverse implications
considered outdated + overlooked by modern critics today
reader response
a theory that relies on readers to add value and content to the texts
calvinism/theology
the study of the sovereignty of god
affective fallacy
the emotional impacts of a text
virtues & vices
qualities from the Bible that contain good and bad
horizons of expectations
a shared mental framework within a generation
reception theory
the emphasis on a reader’s reception + interpretation
describe the historical context of reader response
opposed New Criticism in the second half of twentieth century
who were the key contributors to reader response?
I. A. Richards, Louise Rosenblatt, Walker Gibson↔the predecessors of reader response by affirming the role of the reader
Wolfang Iser↔a reader response theorist who believed that a text should not be considered an object, but rather by its effect on the reader
Hans Robert Jauss
Normal Holland↔a reader response theorist who focused on the unconscious of the reader
Stanley Fish↔a reader response theorist who believed that literary meaning must be negotiated by readers rather than extracted
what are the limitations of reader response?
too subjective
appeals to too small of an audience
gives too much power to the reader
marxism
a theory that analyzes class power dynamics + natural power dynamics that exist between rich and poor
structure
material world
superstructure
intangible world
commodity fetish
things taking on a value independent of its original components
dialectic of classes
the idea that the battle between classes is omnipresent
describe the historical context of Marxism
Hegel and Marx create the Communist Manifesto in 1848
in the early 20th century, Marxist ideals begin to spread through Europe
after WWII, Marxism became widespread, especially in the UK
who were the key contributors to Marxism?
Karl Marx↔a marxist theorist who originally theorized the marxism as a form of socialism
Georg Friendrich Hegal↔a Marxist theorist who developed a philosophical framework relating the mind and material
Louis Althusser↔a Marxist theorist who developed the idea of genetic marxism
Raymond Williams↔a Marxist theorist who established complex feeling and found correspondences in literature and ideology
Terry Eagleton↔a Marxist theorist who found that literary works are influenced by a large number of other factors other than economic structure
what are the limitations of Marxism?
variability leads to lack of consensus
class structure is too complicated
politics is not entirely dependent on economic relations
dialectic approach is unscientific and unbeneficial
cultural materialism
a theory that focuses on the impact of culture and people on the production of literary texts and how they are influenced
structure of feeling
refers to the different ways of thinking vying to emerge at one time in history
hegemonic
the social, economic, cultural, or ideological power of a dominant group exerted on larger society
describe the historical context of cultural materialism
an influential group of British intellectuals used Marxist analysis to read literary texts in the 1950s
Marvin Harris coined the term “cultural materialism” in 1968
Raymond Williams furthers Harris’ theory, focusing on social class and propagation of values in the 1980s
Matthew Arnold attempted to redefine British culture in the late 19th century
Analysis is still used to present day, expanded to include disparities related to race, gender, sexuality
who were the key contributors of cultural materialism?↓
F. R. Leavis
Raymond WIlliams
Stuart Hall
Walter Benjaminwhat are the limitations of cultural materialism?↓
what are the limitations of cultural materialism?↓
too simple + straightforward
use of scientific method
new historicism
a theory that prioritizes historical context and literary work and their effects on each othe
symbolic capital
a form of power/privilege not related to economic wealth
circulation of ideas
the way in which ideas propagate in a population
habitus
habits, skills, and behaviour shaped by culture + personal life experiences
discourse
the use of language to emphasize a certain point/elicit a desired reader response
subversion
an attempt to overthrow/undermine a government or political system
describe the historical context of new historicism↓
arose in opposition to the ahistoricism of New Criticism in the late 1970s
also opposed structuralism + post-structuralism for being too formalist
new historicism coined by Stephen Greenblatt in early 1980s
who were the key contributors to new historicism?↓
Stephen Greenblatt↔a contributor to new historicism who coined the term “new historicism”
Frederic Jameson↔a contributor to new historicism who blamed capitalism for causing a false distinction between public and private
Michel Foucault↔a new historicist contributor who inspired the view of history as textual, that neither literary text nor history is more “true” than the other
Jean-Francois Lyotard↔a new historicist contributor who Argues that capitalism forced a deceitful integration of private and public worlds
Carolyn Porter↔a new historicist contributor who credits the emergence of American, Women’s, and Afro-American Studies in universities and colleges to bringing in new historicism as a new lens in literary criticism
what are the limitations of new historicism?↓
discredits literature in history
ignores literary nuance + lacks in-depth analysis
focuses too much on historical aspects
seems to invalidate all forms of knowledge, even their own
structuralism
a theory that examines strucute in language and how words and identities relate to a system
syntagmatic
an approach to analysis of word by word reading
styntagms
parts of a sentence
synchronic
the study of language as it currently exists
diachronic
the study of language as how it develops through time
la langue
language, a system possessed by the members of a community
