Methods and Theories

Question 1

new criticism

Answer 1

the text is the focus; nothing else is needed or should be used for understanding the meaning. all elements of the text work together to form the meaning; nothing can be left out.
there IS a best possible meaning.
reaction to biographical/historical criticism

Question 2

structuralist criticism

Answer 2

all works have structure; looking at and categorizing these structures is the only way to understand the work, especially understanding how it differs from other works.
everything is in a binary system of opposites (dog versus not dog).
reaction of new criticism

Question 3

deconstructive criticism

Answer 3

binary oppositions are not truly opposites; they either exist on a spectrum or are hierarchical.
there is no true meaning, because everyone has different and infinite connotations.
language is ideological, dynamic, and discursively constructed (ever changing).
reaction to structuralism

Question 4

new historical and cultural criticism

Answer 4

to understand a text, you must look at the historical and cultural contexts; and objective analysis is not possible
history is not a monolith; there is no one correct version of history. history is a narrative.
reaction to new criticism

Question 5

textual and material studies

Answer 5

the communication circuit and the material features of a book can help bring understanding to the way it was read and understood by readers.

Question 6

marxist criticism

Answer 6

getting and keeping power is the motivation behind all social and political activities: education, philosophy, religion, government, the arts, science, technology, the media, etc.
they believe that if a theory does not foreground the economic realities of human cultural it misunderstands human culture

Question 7

semiotics

Answer 7

applies structuralist insights to sign systems

especially useful in analyzing popular culture