Introduction to Literary Studies

• Literature is a body of written works, traditionally imaginative in poetry and prose, valued for their aesthetic qualities.

Defining Literature

• Literature can be classified by language, national origin, historical period, genre, or subject matter.
• Definitions of literature are circular, described as writings with excellence in form, expression, and universal interest.

Key Literary Elements

• Characters are entities in the story.
• Setting is the time and location of the story.
• Narrative accounts of connected events.
• Plot is the sequence of events in a story.
• Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces.
• Theme is the central idea or message.
• Voice is the style or manner of expression.

Archetype vs Motif vs Theme

• Archetype is a universal, recurring symbol, character, or plot pattern.
• Motif is a recurring element specific to a single work.
• Theme is the overarching message or central idea.

Different Genres of Literature

• The different genres are poetry, fiction, non-fiction, drama, and prose.

Theories of Literature

• Literary theory encompasses the ideas and methods to understand literature.

Formalism

• Emphasizes the study of form and style over themes and subject matter.
• Formalists analyze meter, rhyme, rhythm, imagery, symbolism, and other literary techniques.
• Example includes "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot and "Ulysses" by James Joyce.

Structuralism

• Focuses on analyzing underlying structures in cultural phenomena like language and society.
• It originated from structural linguistics.
• Ferdinand de Saussure, a French linguist developed this approach.
• Structuralism views cultural phenomena as systems of signs, where meaning comes from relationships within the system.
• Analyzes how parts of a story relate to each other, influencing overall meaning.
• Claude Lévi-Strauss analyzed myths and narratives through binary oppositions, like nature vs. culture.

Post-structuralism

• Explores different ways to find meaning in a text by considering the reader's feelings and cultural influences.
• Focuses on the reader's interpretation rather than the writer's intention.
• This focuses more on the opinions of the reader compared to other literary theories.
• Example includes "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, focusing on Jane's character vs. Bertha's portrayal.

Feminism

• Feminism is a social, political, and cultural movement advocating for women's rights and gender equality.
• Example includes "A Room of One's Own" by Virginia Woolf.

Marxism

• Examines literature through social and economic structures, particularly class struggle and power dynamics.
• Influenced by Karl Marx.
• Example includes "The Hunger Games" trilogy by Suzanne Collins, depicting a poor vs. elite society.

Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism

• Treats the work as a manifestation of the author's unconscious desires.
• Explains character motivations, analyzes the composition's impact on the unconscious mind, and interprets linguistic/symbolic choices.
• It values the text, author's mind, and reader's interpretation of literary dynamics.
• Example involves analyzing works like "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare (Oedipus complex).

The Importance of Reading

• Cognitive benefits include improved memory, concentration, vocabulary, and critical thinking.
• Emotional benefits encompasses stress reduction and empathy development.
• Social benefits improve social problem-solving, cultural awareness, and communicative skills.

Reader-Response Criticism (RRC)

• Focuses on the experiences of individual readers, emphasizing emotional connection to the context.
• The meaning of a context relies on the response of the readers.
• Emphasizes that meaning is uncertain, depends on the reader's interpretation and reaction.
• Two basic principles: the role of the reader cannot be omitted.
• Readers do not passively consume meaning but instead actively create it.
• RRC is subjective because it focuses on the reader's interpretation rather than objective analysis.

Key Ideas of RRC:

• The Reader is one of the key ideas.
• The Implied Reader is the reader the author had in mind.
• Interpretive Communities is a way to group readers that share a way of interpreting texts.
• The Text is one of the key ideas.

Types of RRC:

• Transactional (Louise Rosenblatt) suggests meaning is actively constructed by the reader's experiences, emotions, and the text.
• Subjective (David Bleich) emphasizes individual interpretation, with no single correct interpretation.
• Psychological (Norman Holland) suggests that a reader's psychological makeup influences their interpretation.
• Affective stylistics (Stanley Fish) examines how a text's structure affects a reader's emotional and cognitive response.
• Social (Stanley Fish) emphasizes the influence of social and cultural context on interpretations.

Historical Criticism

• Examines texts in their historical and cultural contexts to understand the influence of time period, societal norms, and political forces.
• Helps appreciate the author's intentions, themes, and impact on the original audience.
• Objectives include understanding the original historical context and reconstructing the historical situation of the author and audience.
• Key analysis questions include who wrote it, when, significant events, text evolution, and meaning to the first audience.

Authorial Intent

• Original meaning or purpose the author intended at the time of creation.

Two Key Branches of Historical Criticism:

• Traditional Historicism: treats literature as a mirror of historical events, focusing on the author's intent and historical context.
• New Historicism examines how power, ideology, and cultural context shape literature and its interpretation, moving beyond the author's biography.
• Analyzing sources involves checking the authenticity and credibility of both external and internal resources.

Formalist Criticism

• Prioritizes form over thematic concerns or external factors.
• Focuses on form, technique, and literary devices over author's intent or cultural context.
• The main idea of formalism is that it is autotelic, meaning it is self-justifying.
• Proposed by Ferdinand de Saussure.

Types of Formalism:

• Russian Formalism attempts to oppose abstract literary theories. Its main focus is on Victor Shklovsky's defamiliarization.
• Russian Formalism attempts to create a structured basis for the literature study.
• New Criticism focuses on analyzing the text, emphasizing close reading and foregrounding.
• New Critics believed that meaning could be found within the text.

Thematic Approaches

• Focuses on identifying, exploring, and interpreting themes within a text, conveying messages about life, society, and nature.
• Organizes literature by universal themes rather than author or period, connecting it to personal experiences and the world.
• Key components include theme identification, exploration of characters and plot, and symbolism and motifs.

Connection of TA to Different LT:

• Ecocriticism studies literature in the context of human and environmental relationships.
• Psychoanalysis emphasizes on the unconscious mind and repressed thoughts.
• Feminism examines how gender, particularly women, their situation, power, and expectations are portrayed.

Interdisciplinary Approaches

• Connects literary texts with other subjects/disciplines for a comprehensive and engaging experience.
• Promotes connections between literature and other areas of knowledge, fostering understanding and critical thinking.
• History includes "The Diary of a Young Girl" exploring an authentic account of the Holocaust.
• Art includes "Hamlet" and John Everett Millais' painting Ophelia visually reinforces the play
• Music includes "Romeo and Juliet" and Tchaikovsky's musical adaptation translating the play's emotions into music.
• Social Studies includes "To Kill a Mockingbird" examining themes of racial injustice, class disparities, and moral integrity.

Inquiry-based Learning

• Student-centered approach where learning is driven by curiosity and questioning.
• Students explore, investigate, and construct their own understanding through open-ended questions, problems, or scenarios.

4 types of IBL:

• Structured Inquiry Approach provides step-by-step instructions and resources for students.
• Open-Ended Inquiry Approach provides significant autonomy in choosing topics, questions, and methods.
• Problem Based-Inquiry Approach has students solve a real-world problem.
• Guided Inquiry Approach teachers lead the class in the process of inquiry, assisting them by resolving real life issues.

Key figures in IBL:

• John Dewey focuses on learning by doing.
• Jean Piaget focuses on active learning.
• Lev Vygotsky focuses on sociocultural theory.
• Seymour Papert focuses on effective learning when students actively produce products.
• Maria Montessori emphasizes self-directed learning and development of child.

Using Technology in the Classroom

• Technology makes information instantly accessible and enhances educational experiences.
• Technology opens doors for individualized instruction.
• Examples include online libraries, literary databases, interactive platforms, and digital publishing.