21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World PDF

21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Claire Singson Subject Teacher Reading Approaches: Literary Theories Reading Strategies  Literary Theories “Reading and writing seem to be inseparable acts, rather like two sides of the...

21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Claire Singson Subject Teacher Reading Approaches: Literary Theories Reading Strategies  Literary Theories “Reading and writing seem to be inseparable acts, rather like two sides of the same coin. Sometimes we even say the three words as if they were only one: reading-and-writing. So, too, we know that good readers grow more perceptive and insightful if they ‘write, write, write’” (Dobie, 2012). https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1675000 Literary Theories Formalism Feminist Criticism Psychological Criticism Reader-Response Criticism Marxist Criticism New Historicism Formalism https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/ak19cu/ those_darn_literature_teachers/  Literary Theories: Formalism Formalism emphasizes attentive study of the work itself, focusing on the text as literature. It does not regard the text as a vehicle for the expression of social, religious, or political ideas, nor does it reduce it to a promotional effort for a cause or belief. As a result, individuals who use formalism's principles and processes become better, more discerning readers.  Literary Theories: Formalism A formalist critic must first be a close and careful reader who studies all of the parts of a text individually and asks how they fit together to produce a work of art. Such a reader, who respects a work's autonomy, comes to understand it by looking inside it rather than outside or beyond it. He or she will approach a text with the assumption that it is a self-contained entity, and that he or she is looking for the governing principles that allow the text to reveal itself, rather than studying historical periods, author biographies, or literary styles, for example.  Literary Theories: Formalism GUIDE QUESTIONS:  How does the writer’s choice of words reveal the text’s meaning?  What figures of speech are used by the author?  What are the recurring patterns in the text? (such as repeated words or symbols)? What effect do they lend to the text?  How do the various elements in the text interact to create a unified whole?  What are the time and place of the work – the setting? How is the setting related to what we know of the character and his/her action? To what extent is the setting symbolic? Literary Theories Formalism Feminist Criticism Psychological Criticism Reader-Response Criticism Marxist Criticism New Historicism Psychological Criticism  Literary Theories: Psychological Criticism Attempts to explain the behavioral basis of the characters in the selection by examining if the acts and ideas committed fall under any of the recognized mental illnesses, and whether they have a psychiatric condition. Aside from the characters, the author and even the reader may be criticized for their actions throughout the actual writing and reading process.  Literary Theories: Psychological Criticism  Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) expanded his groundbreaking theories on the human mind, its origin, structure, and diseases at that time. Alfred Adler, Otto Rank, and Carl Jung, among his pupils and followers, developed on Freud's theories of investigating the workings of the human psyche to understand why individuals act the way they do.  Literary Theories: Psychological Criticism  On Id, Ego, and Superego The id, according to Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis, is the basic and instinctive portion of the mind that includes sexual and aggressive urges as well as hidden memories, the super-ego serves as a moral conscience, and the ego is the realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the super-ego. https://www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html  Literary Theories: Psychological Criticism Id o The id is the most primal and instinctual aspect of one's personality. It includes all the inherited (i.e., biological) components of personality present at birth, the sex (life) instinct – Eros (which contains the libido), and the aggressive (death) impulse – Thanatos. o The id is the impulsive (and unconscious) portion of our mind that reacts to basic urges, needs, and desires in a direct and immediate manner. The newborn child's personality is all id, and it is only later that an ego and super-ego emerge.  Literary Theories: Psychological Criticism Ego o The ego grows in order to serve as a mediator between the unrealistic id and the external reality. It is the part of the personality that makes decisions. The ego, in its ideal state, is rational, whereas the id is chaotic and irrational. o The ego uses secondary process thinking, which is logical, practical, and problem-solving oriented. If a plan of action does not work, it is reconsidered until a solution is discovered. This is known as reality testing, and it allows a person to conquer their ego and regulate their desires and exhibit self-discipline.  Literary Theories: Psychological Criticism Superego o The superego consists of two systems: The conscience and the ideal self. The conscience can punish the ego through causing feelings of guilt. For example, if the ego gives in to the id's demands, the superego may make the person feel bad through guilt. The ideal self (or ego-ideal) is an imaginary picture of how you ought to be, and represents career aspirations, how to treat other people, and how to behave as a member of society.  Literary Theories: Psychological Criticism GUIDE QUESTIONS:  What do you see as the character’s main traits?  By what acts, dialogue, and attitudes are those traits revealed?  What does the narrator reveal about the character?  In the course of the narrative, does the character change? If so, how and why?  Where do you find evidence of the id, superego, and ego at work?  How does the character view him- or herself?  How is he or she viewed by other characters?   Literary Theories: Psychological Criticism GUIDE QUESTIONS:  Does the character have any interior monologues or dreams? If so, what do you learn from them about the character that is not revealed by outward behavior or conversation?  Are there conflicts between what is observable and what is going on inside the character? Are there any revealing symbols in them?  Are there suggestions that the character’s childhood experiences have led to problems in maturity, such as uncompleted sexual stages or unresolved dilemmas?  Where do the characters act in ways that are inconsistent with the way they are described by the narrator or perceived by other Literary Theories Formalism Feminist Criticism Psychological Criticism Reader-Response Criticism Marxist Criticism New Historicism Marxist Criticism  Literary Theories Marxist Criticism  This theory is based on the theories of communism by Karl Marx and Georg Hegel.  If you were to apply this criticism, you believe that society is divided into three classes: the elites (upper class), bourgeoisies (middle class), and proletariats (lower class).  Literary Theories Marxist Criticism  Karl Marx believed that the poor people, after a long time of being abused by the elites will eventually revolt.  Marxist critics believe that this cycle of chaos and tension between the three classes is inevitable, and it will always be reflected in literature.  As a Marxist critic, you focus on the plight of the lower or working classes, both in everyday life and literature.  Literary Theories Marxist Criticism GUIDE QUESTIONS: Who are the powerful people in the text? Who are the powerless? Who receives the most attention? Who are the marginalized? Why do the powerful have the power? Why are the powerless powerless? Is there class conflict and struggle? Do the powerful in the text suppress the powerless? How? News? Media? Religion? Literature?  Literary Theories Marxist Criticism GUIDE QUESTIONS: What can you infer from the setting about the distribution of wealth? What is the economic status of the characters? What other conditions stemming from their class does the writer emphasize? (e.g. poor education, poor nutrition, poor health care, inadequate opportunity) Literary Theories Formalism Feminist Criticism Psychological Criticism Reader-Response Criticism Marxist Criticism New Historicism Feminist Criticism  Literary Theories Feminist Criticism  Focuses on the roles of women in literature.  This literary theory looks at how aspects of our culture are inherently patriarchal and how it affects the status of women in our society.  Literary Theories Feminist Criticism  As a feminist critic, you observe that the women in literature are often viewed as marginalized, downtrodden individuals whose values and characteristics are based on their differences from men.  The primary goal of this theory is to expose the misogynistic views in literature in order to prompt gender equality and women empowerment everywhere.  Literary Theories Feminist Criticism GUIDE QUESTIONS:  How are the women’s lives portrayed in the work?  Are the form and content influenced by the writer’s gender?  How do male and female characters relate to one another? Are these relationships sources of conflict? Are these conflicts resolved  Literary Theories Feminist Criticism GUIDE QUESTIONS:  Does the work challenge or affirm traditional views of women?  How do the images of women in the story reflect patriarchal social forces that have impeded women’s efforts to achieve full equality with men?  What marital expectations are imposed on the characters? What effect do these expectations have?  What behavioral expectations are imposed on the Literary Theories Formalism Feminist Criticism Psychological Criticism Reader-Response Criticism Marxist Criticism New Historicism Reader-Response Criticism  Literary Theories Reader-Response Criticism  This theory focuses on the inner workings of the reader’s heart and mind.  This theory posits that any text is open to any type of interpretation, as long as the reader has the sufficient explanation and evidence in the text why he/she understood the text that way.  Literary Theories Reader-Response Criticism  As a reader-response critic, you believe that a reader does not passively consume the assigned meaning of the text, but rather actively find his/her own meaning.  For instance, some readers would read a love story with a happy ending and consider it tragic because they just got brokenhearted.  Literary Theories Reader-Response Criticism GUIDE QUESTIONS:  What does the text have to do with you, personally, and with your life (past, present, or future)?  How much does the text agree or clash with your view of the world, and what you consider right and wrong?  How did you learn, and how much were your views and opinions challenged or changed by this text, if at all?  How well does it address things that you, personally, care about and consider important to the world? Literary Theories Formalism Feminist Criticism Psychological Criticism Reader-Response Criticism Marxist Criticism New Historicism New Historicism  Literary Theories New Historicism  New Historicism, also known as Cultural Materialism, examines a literary work in light of the author's historical background. The integration of art and literature with cultural material activities is a central assumption of New Historicism. As a result, literary and non-literary writings circulate in society together. When you examine a work alongside its historical context and related materials, you can see how it tackles the social and political issues of the time period.  Literary Theories New Historicism  The new historicists, the majority of whom are literary scholars, have challenged and resisted conventional historicism's assumptions and aims. They reject that anybody can ever know exactly what happened at a specific time and location, for example. All that can be seen is what has been passed down via artifacts and stories, turning history into a narrative rather than a set of precise observations. As a result, all history is subjectively understood and recorded, influenced by the cultural background of the recorder (usually a powerful person), leaving the stories of the powerless unrecorded.  Literary Theories New Historicism  Traditionally, history has been recorded by the winners. Losers, or those without political or social authority, have their own tales to tell. They distributed those stories as independent discourses, or ways of perceiving and talking about the world, even though they did not publish them in official papers or textbooks. The new historicist would want to hear and recognize all of the stories and voices.  Literary Theories New Historicism GUIDE QUESTIONS:  What ethnic and racial groups do the characters represent?  How many different age groups are depicted?  What levels of education have the characters achieved?  How do the beliefs and expectations of the characters differ?  What geographical areas do the characters come from?  What are the author’s stated political views?  Literary Theories New Historicism GUIDE QUESTIONS:  Has the writer ever spoken publicly for or against some cause?  Can one character be assumed to be speaking for the author?  Was the work an immediate success, or was it largely overlooked upon publication?  Did the work cause controversy when it was published?  Has the work sustained its readership since it first appeared? Literary Theories Formalism Feminist Criticism Psychological Criticism Reader-Response Criticism Marxist Criticism New Historicism