Literary theory and criticism Flashcards
What is literary theory?
A school of thought or style of literary analysis that gives readers the means to critique the ideals and principles of literature
Another term for it = hermeneutics, which applies to the interpretation of a piece of literature
Examines a cross section of literature from a specific era, geographic location, or writers from specific backgrounds or identities to draw conclusions about the similarities and differences in similar kinds of literary works
Why is it important?
Reading the text through the lens of literary theory provides a new perspective to better understand literature, learn more about different authors’ intentions and, generally improve the quality of literature for both authors and readers
Influences literature, challenging texts to evolve into new territory
Practical criticism
> study of literature encourages readers to examine the text without regarding the outside context (e.g. author, date, place, etc.) that may enlighten the reader
Cultural studies
> in direct opposition to practical criticism
> cultural theory examines text within context of its socio-cultural environment
> cultural critics believe texts should be read entirely through the lens of the text’s cultural context
Formalism
> Looking at the form/shape of the text
> Compels readers to judge the artistic merit of literature by judging its formal and shaping elements (e.g. language and technical skill)
> Favours a literary canon of works that exemplify the highest standards of literature
Emphasis on linguistics
Reader-response
> rooted in belief that the reader’s reaction to / interpretation of the text is as valuable a source of critical study as the text itself
New criticism
> New critics focus on examining the formal and structural elements of literature, as opposed to emotional or moral elements
Psychoanalytic criticism
> using Sigmund Freud’s principles of psychoanalysis (like dream interpretation)
> looks to neuroses and psychological states of characters in literature to interpret a text’s meaning
Marxist theory
> Socialist thinker Karl Marx established this branch of literary theory alongside marxism, his political and sociological ideology
> Examines literature along the lines of class relations and socialist ideals
Post-modernism
> Emerged in the middle of 20th-century to reflect the fractured and dissonant experience of 20th-century life
> Most commonly understood as rejecting modernist ideas of a unified narrative
Post-structuralism
> Structuralism emerges out of the social sciences
> Abandon ideas of formal and structural cohesion, questioning any assumed, universal truths
> Skeptical of ideologies as it has got a structure that it imposes on the world
> Interested in playfulness and irony in language, undermining anyone who says “this is what you need to do”
> anti-ideology
Deconstruction
> Proposed by Jacques Derrida
> Deconstructionists pick apart a text’s ideas or arguments, looking for contradictions that render any singular reading of a text impossible
Postcolonial theory
> Phenomenon of postcolonialism (English is the language that unifies India; therefore many Indians writing in English, although they are no longer under British rule = postcolonial writers)
> Challenges the dominance of Western thought in literature, examining the impacts of colonialism in critical theory
> Orientalism (Edward Said) as a foundational text of postcolonial theory
> Blaming foreigners = Otherization
Feminist criticism
> As the feminist movement gained steam in the mid-20th century, literary critics began looking to gender studies for new modes of literary criticism
> One of the earliest examples: Virginia Woolf’s seminal essay “A Room of One’s Own”
> Binary view of the world (male vs. female writing)
Queer theory
> Grew out of feminist theory
> urther interrogates gender roles in literary studies, particularly through the lens of sexual orientation and gender identity
