Literary Theory: Document Analysis PDF

**TO CO BYŁO:** **STORY vs PLOT** **PLOT** is the **compositional not a thematic concept. It refers to the main events in a story composed as a connected sequence of events.** It's a deliberate arrangement of these events with the emphasis on their **causality.\ STORY** -- is a **raw material.** U...

**TO CO BYŁO:** **STORY vs PLOT** **PLOT** is the **compositional not a thematic concept. It refers to the main events in a story composed as a connected sequence of events.** It's a deliberate arrangement of these events with the emphasis on their **causality.\ STORY** -- is a **raw material.** Unlike **plot**, which arranges events for effect, a story is the **content**---the **fundamental happenings within a narrative**. **RACE vs ETHNICITY** **RACE** is a socially constructed category often tied to **historical inequality** and **power structures**, while\ **ENTHNICITY** is generally associated with **cultural identity** and **shared traditions**. In literature, **RACE** is frequently depicted in terms of **oppression** and **marginalization**, whereas **ETHNICITY** is often framed as a marker of **heritage** and **community;** it's more neutral or even positive cultural distinction **RECONSTRUCTIVE vs SUSPICIOUS HERMENEUTICS** **RECONSTRUCTIVE HERMENEUTICS** emphasizes **historical context**, the **author's intent**, and the **broader intellectual environment** in which a text was produced. In other words, interpretation requires **reconstructing** the thought processes of the author. It aims to understand **what the author meant within their time and place.\ SUSPICIOUS HERMENEUTICS** **distrusts surface meanings,** it seeks to **critique and question meaning** not to recover it. It argues that interpretation should **challenge, deconstruct, or expose underlying assumptions** of the text rather than simply recover an author's intent. **ESSENTIALIST VS CONSTRUCTIVIST concepts of gender** **ESSENTIALISTS** (biological determinism; inherent characteristic) believe that gender differences are **biologically, psychologically, and linguistically innate,** meaning that **men and women have fixed, natural traits** that determine their social roles.\ **CONSTRUCTIONIST** (socially influenced) argue that gender is a **social** and **cultural construct**, shaped by **historical and societal influences** rather than inherent characteristics. From a constructionist perspective, what we perceive as \"natural\" gender roles are actually the **result of socialization** and **human interaction** rather than biological determinism. **HOMODIEGETIC vs HETERODIEGETIC narrator** **HOMODIEGETIC NARRATOR** - is a character within the story who narrates events from **their own perspective,** often using **first-person pronouns** (\"I,\" \"we\"), making them **a part of the narrative world**. Homodiegetic narration provides subjective insight and personal involvement\ **HETERODIEGETIC NARRATOR** - **exists outside the story's events** and [does not] participate in them, typically narrating in the **third person** and offering an **external perspective**. This narration allows for greater narrative distance and broader scope in storytelling. **TO CO MOŻE BYĆ:** **CHARACTER vs ACTANT** **CHARACTER** **(a specific figure in a story)** is a person, figure, or being with individual traits, motivations, and development within a narrative. Characters are specific, named entities like Harry Potter or Elizabeth Bennet.\ (A specific person/animal/being in a story who does things or has things happen to them. Characters can be thought of as the "people" or "personalities" encountered in a story.) **ACTANT** **(an abstract role in a story)** is more abstract concept from **structuralist theory**, representing a functional role in the narrative. Actants are defined by their roles (e.g., hero, villain, helper) rather than their individuality or personality. It doesn't have to be a person---it could be a thing, an idea, a force of nature. For example, in a story about a hero trying to find a treasure, the "hero," "treasure," and "villain" are all actants, even if the treasure isn't a character---it's a role in the plot. **[GENDER vs SEX]** **SEX** refers to the biological differences between males and females such as reproductive anatomy and chromosomal differences.\ \ **GENDER** is understood as a social and cultural construct that defines roles, behaviors, and identities. Gender is shaped by historical, ideological, and linguistic factors, meaning that literary texts often reinforce or challenge traditional gender norms. Feminist and queer theorists, such as Judith Butler, argue that gender is performative, meaning it is constructed through repeated actions rather than being an inherent trait. Literature frequently explores gender as a fluid and contested concept, questioning fixed binaries and highlighting how societal expectations influence identity **DISCOURSE vs STYLE/IDEOLOGY** **DISCOURSE** refers to broader social and cultural frameworks of language. Any time someone uses language to communicate, they\'re utilising discourse. It involves how themes, power dynamics, and ideologies are expressed through language and storytelling. For instance, a feminist discourse might shape how gender roles are challenged in a novel. **IDEOLOGY** - is a set of beliefs and values that influence how people see reality and power structures. While discourse spreads and reinforces ideology, ideology provides the ideas that shape discourse. **STYLE** is the author's distinct way of writing, including their choice of diction, syntax, tone, figurative language, and narrative techniques. It defines how the story is told on a linguistic and aesthetic level, making an author's work recognizable. **PURE GAZE vs POPULAR AESTHETIC** **PURE GAZE** values art for its **form and autonomy**, appreciating it as an object detached from practical or utilitarian functions, and is typically associated with individuals possessing **high cultural capital**. **POPULAR AESTHETIC** prioritizes **content over form**, expecting art to serve a purpose---whether moral, educational, or entertaining---and is linked to **lower cultural capital and broader accessibility**.\ These distinctions are not merely about taste but reflect **social hierarchies and class-based divisions**, where the **pure gaze** is often aligned with **elite cultural practices**, while the **popular aesthetic** resonates with **mass culture and everyday life.** **AUTHOR vs INITIATOR OF DISCURSIVE PRACTICE** **INITIATORS OF DISCURSIVE PRACTICES -** Authors whose contributions transcend the creation of individual texts to establish entire frameworks of thought. They shape disciplines, generating new discourses that evolve over time. (E.g Freud and Marx -- their ideas are continuously reexamined, keeping the discourse he initiated alive\ \ **AUTHOR -** is primarily understood as the **creator of individual literary, philosophical, or academic text** **CANON vs CURRICULUM** **CANON** refers to a collection of literary or cultural works that are considered significant, influential, and worthy of study, often shaping the understanding of a particular tradition.\ **CURRICULUM** is a structured educational plan that includes selected texts, subjects, and learning objectives designed for teaching in schools or universities. While the canon influences what is included in the curriculum, the curriculum is more flexible and can be adapted to different educational needs, time periods, and perspectives **SETTING vs SPACE** **SETTING** is where and when a story takes place, including the **location, time period, and social environment** (like a city in the 1800s or a haunted house).\ **SPACE** is about how characters move through and interact with their surroundings, such as **personal spaces (a bedroom), social spaces (a café), or symbolic spaces (a border between two worlds)**. Setting is more **fixed** because it provides the background, while space is **dynamic** because it changes based on how characters experience it. Both help shape a story, but space can also show deeper ideas, like power, freedom, or change **HISTORICISM vs NEW CRITICISM** **HISTORICISM** focuses on analyzing a literary work within its **historical, social, and cultural context**, emphasizing how external influences shape the text's meaning. Essentially, historicism looks **outward** to external factors, **NEW CRITICISM** treats the text as **an independent entity**, rejecting historical and biographical considerations in favor of close reading and analyzing **its structure, language, and literary devices**. While historicism sees literature as a product of its time, New Criticism argues that meaning comes from **the text itself**, not the author\'s intentions or historical background. It looks **inward** at the text's internal mechanics. **LONGER QUESTIONS** **CO BYŁO** **1. Why is CLASS relevant to literary studies?**\ Class is relevant to literary studies because it provides a framework for analyzing how literature **reflects, reinforces,** or **critiques social hierarchies, economic structures,** and **power dynamics**.\ From a **Marxist perspective**, literature can reveal class struggles, exploitation, alienation, and the influence of economic forces on human relationships, often critiquing or upholding dominant ideologies.\ A **Weberian approach**, on the other hand, considers class as more fluid, examining how social status, power, and multiple influences---beyond just economic factors---shape narratives, themes, and characters.\ In both cases, class analysis helps **uncover the ways literature represents social realities** and either challenges or legitimizes existing structures. **2. What is the Cultural Materialist approach to literary value?** The **Cultural Materialist approach to literary value** sees literature as deeply connected to **historical, political, and ideological contexts**, focusing on how texts reflect and challenge systems of power. It is influenced by **Marxist and feminist perspectives**, emphasizing the representation of **marginalized and oppressed groups**, as well as acts of **resistance** within literature. Cultural Materialists argue that **history is not just a record of oppression but also of subversion**, and they seek to uncover **silenced voices and alternative narratives** that challenge dominant ideologies. Unlike traditional literary criticism, Cultural Materialism **does not treat texts as isolated aesthetic objects** but instead examines their role in **reinforcing or resisting societal structures**. It employs **close reading techniques alongside structuralist and poststructuralist theories** to critique canonical texts, exposing their **political implications and hidden power struggles**. Ultimately, Cultural Materialism values literature for its **subversive potential**, using **dissident reading strategies** to reveal how texts can be sites of both oppression and transformation within a culture. **3. How is a text assigned to a particular genre? What operations must readers perform in order to generalize from a specific piece of text to the class of which the text is a member?** A text is assigned to a particular genre based on distinct **features** such as **structure, function, themes, and stylistic elements**. For example, a **fairy tale** often begins with \"Once upon a time,\" a **horror story** includes **paranormal or terrifying elements**, and a **biography** presents **factual accounts of an author's life**. Readers determine a text's genre through **exposure, education, and analysis**, either consciously or through a **cultural intuition** (or \"gut feeling\"). To generalize from a specific text to a broader genre, **readers identify key patterns and conventions**, comparing them with established literary categories. However, since **genres are not always rigidly defined and often influence each other**, classification is not always straightforward. Many texts **blend multiple genres**, requiring careful consideration of **dominant features and literary context** to determine the most appropriate classification. **[Is there such thing as "correct" genre assignment? When the form or the function of a genre changes, is it still the same genre?]** There is no absolute **\"correct\"** genre assignment, as genres are fluid categories that evolve over time and are shaped by **cultural, historical, and reader expectations**. A work may fit multiple genres or challenge conventional definitions, making classification subjective and context-dependent. When the **form or function of a genre changes**, it can still be considered the same genre if it retains its **core themes, conventions, or narrative structures**, though it may be seen as a **subgenre** or an **evolution** of the original. For example, modern dystopian fiction differs from early utopian works but still belongs to the same overarching tradition. Ultimately, genre is a **flexible framework** rather than a fixed rule 5\. **Feminist Criticism and its view on canon** **Feminist criticism challenges the literary canon by questioning its historical exclusion of women writers and the dominance of male perspectives in defining literary value.** It argues that the canon has traditionally been shaped by **patriarchal structures**, privileging works by men while marginalizing or overlooking female-authored texts. Feminist scholars seek to **recover and reevaluate** women's literary contributions, emphasizing their artistic, social, and cultural significance. They also critique how canonical texts represent **gender roles, power dynamics, and the construction of femininity and masculinity**. By expanding the canon to include diverse voices, feminist criticism aims to **reshape literary history**, making it more inclusive of female experiences and perspectives. Ultimately, it views the canon not as a neutral collection of great works but as a product of **ideological choices that reflect and reinforce historical inequalities**. 6\. **How is an interpretative community formed?** An **interpretive community** is formed when readers share **common interpretative strategies, norms, and ways of understanding texts**, shaped by their **social, institutional, and cultural backgrounds**. According to **Stanley Fish**, reading is not a purely **individual or subjective experience**; instead, we approach texts through the **logic and assumptions of our interpretive community**. This explains why literary interpretations are not completely random---while multiple readings exist, they are **grouped into patterns** based on the shared **reading habits and frameworks** of different communities. Fish challenges the idea that we can ever get \"back to the text\" as an **autonomous authority**, because we always bring **pre-existing strategies and expectations** to our reading. Reader-response criticism is therefore **not a free-for-all**, but a structured interaction between the text and the interpretive strategies we have **inherited or developed**. Additionally, members of an interpretive community are often aware of **other communities that read differently**, allowing for dialogue and critique between different ways of interpreting literature. **7. Why is** **gender relevant in literature?** Gender is relevant in literature because it shapes **character roles, themes, and power dynamics**, influencing how stories are written, interpreted, and valued. Literature often reflects **social constructions of gender**, reinforcing or challenging traditional expectations about masculinity and femininity. **Feminist and queer literary theories** examine how gender is represented, questioning stereotypes and highlighting marginalized voices. Many classic works were written from a **male-dominated perspective**, which feminist criticism seeks to balance by recovering and analyzing texts by women and other underrepresented groups. Additionally, gender influences **the reception and interpretation of literature**, as cultural biases affect which works are considered important or canonical. Ultimately, literature serves as a space where **gender identity, roles, and inequalities** can be explored, critiqued, and reimagined. **CO MOŻE BYĆ** **[1. WHY IS STYLE RELEVANT]** **Literary style** refers to the distinct way an author uses **language, structure, and literary devices** to shape meaning and evoke emotions. It can be understood in both **concrete terms**---focusing on **technical elements** such as tropes, figures, syntax, and vocabulary---and in **abstract terms**, describing the **overall tone, attitude, or atmosphere** of a text. Gérard Genette defines style as the **"perceptible" aspect of a text**, emphasizing how its sensory and material qualities affect the reader's perception. Style plays a crucial role in **literary language**, distinguishing literature from non-literary texts, where style is often secondary to content. Even the **absence of style** or a deliberately plain style is a **stylistic choice** with interpretative significance. Ultimately, style not only shapes how a text is read but also influences its meaning, emotional impact, and literary identity. **[3. DEFINE AUTHOR]** The concept of the **author** has evolved over time, shaped by historical, cultural, and legal factors. In the **Middle Ages**, texts circulated anonymously, and their authority came from **tradition or divine origins**, rather than an individual writer. The **rise of print culture** and **copyright laws** in the Renaissance transformed the author into a legally and economically significant figure, tying authorship to ownership and accountability. Over time, **literary works became increasingly associated with the author's identity**, with modern criticism often interpreting texts through the lens of the author\'s **biography and social context**. However, poststructuralist theorists like **Roland Barthes** challenged this focus, arguing that meaning is created through the **reader's interpretation rather than the author's intent**. Additionally, some figures, such as **Freud and Marx**, function as **initiators of discursive practices**, shaping entire fields of thought rather than merely producing individual texts. 4\. **DEATH OF THE AUTHOR** The concept of the \"death of the author\" was articulated by **Roland Barthes**. It represents a shift in literary theory, as it emphasizes the text itself and its interaction with the reader over the authority or intentions of its creator. \~ By focusing on the author's intentions, biography, or historical context, readers limit the potential meanings that a text can generate. \~ Reader, an active participant in the interpretive process, becomes the true creator of meaning. \~ Texts as dynamic systems, open to an infinite range of interpretations that are shaped by the reader's experiences, perspectives, and cultural context **[5. LITERARY WORK]** A **literary work** is a structured piece of writing that conveys meaning through **language, form, and artistic expression**. Unlike everyday texts, literary works are often characterized by their **use of figurative language, narrative techniques, and thematic depth**, inviting interpretation and analysis.\ **Structuralis**t and **formalist** critics view a literary work as a **self-contained system**, while **poststructuralists** argue that meaning is shaped by **readers, cultural context, and intertextual references**. Additionally, the **boundaries of what constitutes a literary work** are debated, especially in contemporary forms like **digital literature, fan fiction, and collaborative writing**. Ultimately, a literary work is not just a text but a **dynamic space of meaning, shaped by both its creator and its audience**. 6.**How to evaluate a source?** ** What is the source?** Does it have a title, and does that title tell you anything about it? If it lacks a title, how would you describe it? Is it a primary source, such as an original document, creative work, or artifact, or a secondary source, which reports on or analyzes primary sources? If it is an edition, is it authoritative? Does the source document its own sources in a trustworthy manner?\ ** Is it based on sound research and scholarship?** How do the ideas and arguments presented in it compare with other publications on the same topic? (Caution necessary with radically sounding publications.)\ ** Does it cover the chosen topic completely or only partially?** Does it take into account other publications you have searched?\ ** How was the source produced?**\ Does it have a recognized publisher or sponsoring organization (an academic or university press, an academic, scholarly or scientific journal, an opinion magazine, a popular magazine, a newspaper; an academic or popular v/blog)? Was it subjected to a process of vetting, such as peer review, through which authorities in the field assessed its quality?\ ** When was the source published?**\ Could its information have been supplemented or replaced by more recent work? ** Where did you find the source?**\ Was it cited in an authoritative work? Was it among the results of a search you conducted through a scholarly database (such as the MLA International Bibliography) or a library's resources? Did you discover it through a commercial search engine that may weight results by popularity or even payment? **7. in \"Death of the Author\" Barthes distinguishes between the Author and the modern writer (scriptor) - explain the difference (pytanie z 2023)** **The Author** is seen as an authority figure, whose personal intentions, biography, and historical context are considered essential in interpreting a text. This traditional view assumes that meaning is fixed and originates from the author\'s mind, making the text an extension of their thoughts and experiences. In contrast, the **scriptor** is a modern, impersonal figure, who does not create original meaning but rather arranges pre-existing language, signs, and cultural references. The scriptor is not a creator but a participant in a larger network of textuality, where meaning is produced through the act of reading rather than the author's intent. For Barthes, this shift \"kills\" the Author, emphasizing that texts are open to multiple interpretations, shaped by readers rather than the personal history of their creators. SAMPLE QUESTIONS PODANE PRZEZ NIĄ I. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.   II. canon (gr A) / author (B??) / work (B???) / style (B??) **CONNECTING SCHOLARS**\ **Jacques Derrida** → Deconstruction\ **Stanley Fish** → Reader-response theory\ **Gerard Genette** → Narratology\ **Judith Butler** → Gender studies\ **Wolfgang Iser** → Reader-response theory\ **Mieke Ball** → Narratology\ **Julia Kristeva** → Intertextuality\ **Stephen Greenblatt** → New Historicism\ **Pierre Bourdieu** → Social theory / sociology of literature\ **Roman Ingarden** → Phenomenology\ **Sandra Gilbert -\>** Feminist Literary Criticism\ **W. K. Wimsatt, Jr.** -\> New Criticism / formalism\ **W. J. T. Mitchell -\>** Visual Culture and Representation Theory**\ Michel Foucault** → Poststructuralism, Discourse Analysis\ **John Frow** → Genre Theory, Literary Theory**\ J. Hillis Miller→ Narrative Theory, Deconstruction, Literary Theory\ Toni Morrison → Race and Literature, African American Studies, Postcolonial Criticism\ Roland Barthes → Poststructuralism, Semiotics, Reader-Response Theory, Intertextuality\ Lilian Munk Rösing → Literary Style, Aesthetic Theory, Literary Analysis** **READER-RESPONSE THEORY:\ a) Stanley Fish\ b) Roland Barthes\ c) Wolfgang Iser** **DECONSTRUCTION:\ a) Jacques Derrida\ b) J. Hillis Miller** **POSTSTRUCTURALISM:\ a) Michael Foucault\ b) Roland Barthes** **NARRATOLOGY:\ a) Gerard Genette\ b) Mieke Ball**