Short/ Long answer Flashcards
What is literary criticism? 文學批評
Literary criticism is an activity that attempts to describe, study, analyze, justify, interpret, and evaluate a piece of art.
What is metatheory 元理論 and how does it relate to literary criticism?
Metatheory is a theory whose subject matter is theory itself. There is no metatheory within literary criticism, which means there is no single overarching theory that holds all possible interpretations.
What is feminist theory? What’s the goal of this theory? 女性主義理論
*Remember at least two guiding questions
Feminist theory looks at the portrayal of female characters in relation to men in society in order to highlight positive/negative aspects. It aims to promote equality because women are often oppressed by patriarchy economically, politically, socially and psychologically.
Guiding questions:
- How is the relationship between men and women portrayed?
- How are female characters portrayed in the story?
- How is motherhood portrayed?
- What stereotypes of women are found?
What is marxist theory? 馬克思主義理論
What does marxist focusing on?
*Remember at least two guiding questions
Marxist theory concerns itself with class differences, economic and otherwise, in order to expose the oppression and rise to power that occurs.
Marxist focus on how power and money are shown.
Guiding questions:
- Which social classes do the characters represent?
- How do characters from different social classes interact or conflict?
- How are they depicted?
- What role does class play in the story? Does it have any emphasis?
- What is the author trying to say about social classes?
What is new criticism theory? 新批評理論
What’s the goal of this theory?
New criticism involves picking apart the text you’re reading and looking at every detail, using that evidence to determine meaning.
The attention is focused on the narrator’s voice, setting, plot, and word choice.
The goal is to understand the meaning and theme of the text.
What is psychoanalytic theory? 精神分析理論
What’s the goal of this theory?
Which 3 parts does it divided into?
Psychoanalytic criticism shows how human behaviour is relevant to our experience of literature.
The goal of this theory is to help us solve our psychological problems.
ID, Ego, Superego
What is ID?
Our ID is a part of the personality that contains our primitive impulses, thirst, anger, hunger, and desire for instant gratification.
There is no consideration for other circumstances or the situation.
This is like the “bad guy” on your shoulder.
What is Ego?
Our ego is a part of the personality that maintains a balance between our impulses and our conscience.
It recognizes that being impulsive or selfish can hurt us.
This is like the “good guy” on one shoulder and the “bad guy” on the other.
What is Superego?
Our superego is our conscience and our morals.
It tells us our belief in right and wrong
This is like the “good guy” on your shoulder.
What is race theory?
*Remember at least two guiding questions
Racism is a normal feature of society and is embedded within systems and institutions like the legal system that replicate racial inequality.
Guiding questions:
- How do people of colour and first nations represent? How do others interact with them?
- Are there any attempts at equality?
- What are some examples of them giving into current behaviours?
Why are we so interested in crime?
Having an interest in crime and violence has become more than just a way to get a thrill. Now, it’s a way to spot danger in the world and get ready for it. Many people even say that crime and killings are a way to get away from the boring things that happen every day.
Why do men care about crime?
Men like watching shows about crime and murder because it seems to stir feelings of manliness.
Why do women care about crime?
Women say they love true crime shows because they want to absorb tips on how to survive dangerous situations.
What is a tragedy?
Tragedy is a serious play or drama that usually focuses on the problems of a main character and has a sad or bad ending. In ancient drama, this ending was caused by fate and a tragic flaw in the main character. In modern drama, this ending is caused by moral weakness, psychological problems, or social pressures.
(LQ) Describe the plot structure of a tragedy.
Exposition → Rising Action → Climax → Falling Action → Resolution
The exposition: The beginning of the story. The characters are introduced, the setting is established, and background information is given.
The rising action: The events which lead up to the main action. The conflict faced by the protagonist(main character) is made clear, this conflict often escalates, and dramatic tension and suspense are built.
The climax: The point at which the conflict, or main action of the story, comes to a head. This is often the height of the action or drama and the most exciting point in the narrative. It can also be a turning point in the plot or a pivotal moment of decision for the protagonist.
The falling action: The events which happen after the climax, in which the plot starts to resolve. The conflict winds down and starts to resolve.
The resolution: The ending of the story. The conflict is resolved and the tension is released. In some narratives, some elements are left unsolved, but their should always be a sense of conclusion.
