Literary Theories PDF

KEYWORDS PHIL LIT 1.​ Readers’ Response Theory - Readers bring their own thoughts, emotions, and experiences into a work that they’re reading. Like they have different responses from people with different backgrounds. 1.​ Formalistic Theory - close reading and analyzing the l...

KEYWORDS PHIL LIT 1.​ Readers’ Response Theory - Readers bring their own thoughts, emotions, and experiences into a work that they’re reading. Like they have different responses from people with different backgrounds. 1.​ Formalistic Theory - close reading and analyzing the literary text itself like ung structure, repetition, imagery and symbolism. 1.​ Archetypal Theory - focuses on universal symbols, characters, and themes that appear repeatedly across different cultures and stories. ​ For example: ​ Hero (Harry Potter) ​ Mentor (Dumbledor) ​ Villain (Lord Voldemort) ​ Odysseus ​ King Arthur ​ Hercules ​ Cinderella 1.​ History Theory - way of analyzing literature by focusing on the historical context in which it was written and the life of the author. ​ For example (Shakespears’ plays)Many of Shakespeare’s works, like Macbeth, reflect the political climate of his time. For example, Macbeth was written during King James I's reign and explores themes of kingship and treachery, likely influenced by James’s interest in witchcraft and monarchy. 1.​ New Historicism - a way of looking at literature by focusing on the time and culture it was written in. It suggests that a story is not just about what’s on the page but also about the historical events, social issues, and power structures happening around the author when they wrote it. This theory says that literature reflects and influences the world it comes from, and it helps us understand the relationship between the text and its historical context. ​ ​ - For example, in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, the novel reflects the harsh ​ ​ conditions of the Industrial Revolution in England, including poverty and child ​ ​ ​ labor. By looking at the historical context of the time, we can understand how ​ ​ ​ Dickens’ personal experiences with poverty and the social issues of his era ​ ​ ​ influenced the themes and characters in the story. The novel not only tells a story ​ ​ but ​ also comments on the social and political conditions of 19th-century England. 1.​ Psychoanalytic Criticism Theory (Sigmund Freud) - This theory focuses on understanding characters' behaviors, motivations, and relationships through the lens of psychology, especially unconscious desires, fears, and conflicts and can reveal hidden psychological truths about both the characters and the author. ​ For example: ​ Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: ​ Creation and the Unconscious: Victor Frankenstein’s obsession with creating life can be seen as a manifestation of his unconscious desire for control over death, stemming from his own unresolved grief and guilt.  ​ The Monster as Repressed Desire: The monster, rejected by its creator, represents the repressed parts of Victor’s psyche—the fear of the unknown, guilt, and the consequences of playing God. 1.​ Marxist Criticism Theory - focused on social class, power, and economics. For example: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby ​ Class Struggle: The novel portrays the tension between old money (represented by characters like Tom Buchanan) and new money (represented by Gatsby). Gatsby’s wealth, gained through questionable means, is not enough to earn him acceptance in the upper class. ​ Economic Power: The story critiques the American Dream, showing how wealth and social status are often determined by factors beyond hard work, like birthright and connections. Despite Gatsby’s success, he is still excluded from the elite circles because of his lower-class origins. 1.​ Feminist Criticism Theory - This theory examines how literature reflects, reinforces, or challenges the social, cultural, and political norms related to gender, especially the oppression of women. Feminist criticism aims to highlight the representation of women in literature and how these representations may reflect broader societal attitudes toward gender inequality. 1.​ Affective Theory - focuses on the emotional response of the reader to a text. It emphasizes how literature can evoke feelings, emotions, and psychological reactions in its audience. for example: William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: ​ Emotional Response: The tragic ending of Romeo and Juliet is designed to evoke feelings of sadness, loss, and despair in the reader. The emotions felt by the reader are central to understanding the impact of the play. ​ Reader’s Experience: The reader may feel a sense of empathy for the young lovers, especially as they are caught in a situation beyond their control. The emotional response to the tragic fate of the characters can influence how the play is interpreted, with readers perhaps focusing on themes of fate, love, and family conflict.