New Historicism in Literature Analysis

Study Notes

New Historicism in Action Example

New Historicism is a critical approach that studies literature within its historical context. It examines the relationship between literary works and the social and cultural conditions in which they were produced and received. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of literary works with the larger socio-political and economic forces of their time.
A New Historicist analysis would avoid simply stating facts about a historical period. Instead, it would seek to uncover the ways in which power structures and historical events shaped the representations and interpretations of those events found in the text. It would also explore how texts reflect, critique, or reinforce, those power structures, institutions, and ideas.
An example of New Historicism in action could be an interpretation of Shakespeare's play King Lear. Rather than an approach focusing wholly on the characters' morality or the nature of fate, a new historicist interpretation could investigate how Shakespeare’s play reflects the shifting power dynamics of the English monarchy and aristocracy during the Elizabethan era. It could examine the play's representation of social hierarchies and the anxieties surrounding succession, exploring how these anxieties were articulated and played out culturally.
This approach would also examine contemporary reactions to the play and explore how those reactions reveal the shifting norms and understanding within that period. It could consider how these views contrast with modern interpretations of the play. The overall analysis would be focused on revealing the intertwined influences of history, power structures, and literary creation on the play itself.
Another example would be a New Historicist analysis of Emily Dickinson's poems, which could involve examining the social constraints placed on women writers during the 19th-century, contrasting it with interpretations of female agency found within Dickinson's work, and revealing how both history and literature shaped each other.
Essentially, the critic would look for patterns in the text that provide insight into the social conditions at the time and how those conditions influenced the very act of writing the work. Using multiple texts to create a richer picture of the historical period is a common aspect of this critical approach. The analysis would look for both direct and indirect connections. It isn't about finding solely a thematic element of a particular societal issue of the era, but about creating a comprehensive and complex interconnected picture.