Literary Theory Lecture Notes PDF

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG NEW CRITICISM Key concepts: Important author: Brooks close reading - focusing on textual evidence from -> literary criticism should disregard the role of the author literary w...

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG NEW CRITICISM Key concepts: Important author: Brooks close reading - focusing on textual evidence from -> literary criticism should disregard the role of the author literary work and the reader of a text = avoid intentional fallacy unity: relation of parts create unity (or fail) paradox, ambiguity, tension, irony STRUCURALISM patterns & symbols understanding concepts in regards to other concepts rather than isolated difference and binary oppositions FERDINAND DE SAUSSURE sign = any auditory image becomes associated with a concept signifier = sound-image signified = concept the arbitrary nature of the sign emphasis on difference between signifiers and thus signifieds Foci of literary analysis READING PRACTICE genre studies William Faulkner - A Rose for Emily (1929) intertextuality use of symbolism narratology focus on hoe instead of what - tale, telling show & tell - focalization, pov, narrative embeddings, metaphor, close reading Barron/barren symbol… chronology of events in fictional space extending sign studies - semiology genre question -> southern gothic and detective fiction russiuan formalism where is the rose and what does it Viktor shklovsky = defamilarization -> the way symbolise? literature can take familiar things and show them from a new perspective the primacy of language refusing the mimetic thesis Language as an object of knowledge Difference in structuralism and post-structuralism both agree on the primacy of language “post-prefix” = either “no longer” or “not yet” Free floating signifiers POST-STRUCTURALISM = no fixed meaning = not anchored to a specific signified intellectual, theoretical movement = can be interpreted in many ways no longer an authorial leader who tells us what a text means burden of proof still in the critic but each reading is just one of several possible ones -> you can read several different text in regard to a topic but every text has a different opinion free-floating signifiers gains importance -> free play of meanings rather than universal laws that anchor meanings no center of truth anymore -> notions of God (unified subject) has vanished plural identities instead of fixed identities Signifier the form that the sign takes the letters that form the word Example in words: different verbal, non verbal Signifier: The word “dog” Signified : the concept of a furry animal that you can keep as a pet that barks Signified the concept or idea that the signifier Example in non-verbal signs: represents Signifier: A red light Signified: the concept of “stop” mental construct or meaning evoked by the signifier Sign Nature: entity that conveys meaning Sign: Exists within the system of signs, part of a consists of a combination of the signifier and the signified language or semiotic system. e.g. the word “tree” is a sign Referent: Exists independently of the sign; it is the signifier= the letters t-r-e-e external reality that the sign points to. signified= the concept of a tree Relation to Meaning: Referent Sign: Involves both the signifier (form) and the the actual object, concept or thing in the real word which signified (concept). the sign represents or points to Referent: Is the actual object or concept in the real e.g. the word “tree” (sign) refers to a specific tree in the world that the sign signifies. natural world and the referent is this said tree Beyond deconstruction and post-structuralism Jaques Derrida, Of Grammatology -> différance = meanings are often delayed and have many possible interpretations Phonocentrism emphasising speech over writing Logocentrism the belief that words contain or point truths there’s no meaning outside of text CRITIQUES critique of Saussure’s model of the sign -> from difference to différance critique of wester philosophy -> everything is about written language -> any text is a text and thus prone the free floating signifiers critique of essentialism -> language cannot reach an origin or an essence POST-STRUCTURALIST LITERARY CRITICISM Central questions: where does the text appear to say one thing but mean another? how are contradictory and opposing meanings expressed in the work? how does meaning break down or deconstruct itself in the language of the text? 2 staged reading 1. establish a singular interpretation 2. seek out moments of undecidability (aporia), studying language, rhetoric, and figuration  PSYCHOANALYTIC CRITICISM Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) the precocious, unconscious and conscious repression -> process that keeps guilty desires & wishes out of our conscious experience sublimation -> repressed emotions are redirected towards artistic and other cultural productions model human psychology - the Id - the ego Dream Work/ analysis - the superego 1. condensation -> contents of dream are abbreviated central assumption = sexual instincts determine the life 2. displacement -> important aspects of dream can of the individual become unimportant (and vice versa) 3. representation -> how to express a dream in words? Oedipus complex 4. secondary revision -> transforming the dream while boys rival with father over love of mother talking about it desire of opposite sex parent happens (mostly) uncocniously castration anxiety realising that the mom has no penis -> boy fears own castration1 mostly unconsciously return of the repressed childhood experiences are stored in the unconcious The term was first used by Anna O. to can enter the conscious in disguised ways describe the relief she experienced from her symptoms when she talked about her traumatic experiences and psychoanalysis as a clinical method emotions. Breuer and Freud later the “talking cure” -> treating psychological disorders through verbal communication adopted this approach in their work. the freudian couch transference person who is being analysed transfers his emotions about another person onto the analysis Schools of psychoanalytic literary criticism Based on freuds writings Based on Lacan’s writing literary = daydreams of the author unconsciousness is structured like language look out for wha is repressed in a text “mirror phase” = infant recognises itself for the first literary characters are NOT real people time in a mirror -> development of self begins use of symbolism 3. psychoanalytic orders -> Harold bloom : transferred notion of oedipus complex to the 1. imaginary ( pre linguistilinguistic; no distinction between interpretation of literature subject and object) authors have to “kill” their predecessors (vorgänger) 2. symbolic (law of father casts the child into realm of male centered language) studying the psyche of a protagonist 3. the real (not reality; often neglected in literary criticism)  RECEPTION THEORIES there is no text without a reader key idea: gaps and indeterminacies in the text need to be “solved” by the reader Wolfgang Iser (1926-2007) coined term “reception aesthetics” text only emerges in the mind of the reader -> reader gains a new or added awareness oh his own identity many interpretations of a text are thus possible studying basic patterns of reading literature creates world as if it was real Stanley Fish (1938-) “reading is not a matter of discovering what the text means, but a process of experiencing what it does to you” (Terry Eagleton) -> observe the experience of the reader while reading a text ideal reader (fish) -> hypothetical, informed reader implied reader (Iser)-> text already makes implicit assumptions about the reader actual reader -> you and I trying to come to terms with the complexities of literary texts “The birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the author” - Roland Barthes reading is a dialogue between expectations that the text provokes and he readers responses to these expectations MARXISM Key concepts literary aesthetic have to be seen in relation to capitalist production and consumption materialism -> interpreting human social and historical experiences as an encounter with the materials realities of the physical world history = different modes of production, clashing class interests between the bourgeoisie (middle and upper middle class in society, characterised by capital, wealth, property and influence in capitalism and cultural institutions) and the proletariat (working class with less influence) dialektal materialism -> analysing how contradictory class interests and economic forces engage in a dialogue that ultimately creates a new social order ideology - > false consciousness about the world and one’s place in it relations -> people live in constants social relations rather than isolation alienation (Entfremdung) -> capitalist mode of production workers become estranged from the product of their labor use value vs. Exchange value commodity (fetishism) -> people become commodified  Louis Althusser (1918-1990) connecting structuralism and marxism products of symbolic production and ideological conflict rather than the creative expressions of humanistically defined authors (etc.) with special reference to class ideology -> “the imaginary relationships of individuals to their real conditions of existence “ interpellation -> process of being unconsciously drawn into dominant social and cultural assumptions; constituting the subject in and through ideology Frederic Jameson always historicise! - see the context and historical background art & literature must be seen a sa result of specific social, economic, and political forces differences between modernism and postmodernism -> argues that postern culture is utterly suffused by logic of global capitalism postmodernes = consumption of sheer commodification as a process MARXIST LITERARY CRITICISM literature as an expression of social awareness literature as a representation of ruling and counterculture ideologies assumption -> art & literature not seen as separate from social, political and cultural circumstances writing as labor and commodity reification (= thingification) = refers to the way that commodification reduces social ideas and even people to do things -> intensifying alienation advantages literature is placed in context(s) literature is seen as a way to shape public opinion understands literature as a form of social production and being => critique of marxism reducing humanity to economy conditions the fallacy of reflectionism and economic determinism “it’s the economy, stupid!”  FEMINISM, GENDER & QUEER STUDIES REALITY versions of identity 1a 1b philosophy -> a relation an entity has with itself psychoanalysis -> the unified subject under threat 2 3 Marxism -> based on relations to surroundings an history AUTHOR - TEXT READER social identity is marked by difference and narration 4 history of feminism in “western” society 1st wave -> call for equal rights (education, property and voting rights - suffrage) 2nd wave -> begins in 1960s (cultural issues in addition to equality; “the person is political”) 3rd wave -> voices from the margins challenge emphasis on white, middle class, and heterosexual issues and values post feminism? feminist literary criticism expanding the canon -> integrating the history of literature written by women representing women in literature and other media development of feminist history sex vs. gender relation to politics -> equality in the literary field, broadly defined since 1980s = focus on “difference within” since 1990s = from woman studies to gender studies; feminist literary criticism becomes part of gender studies Gender Studies investigate through the lens of gender -> literary and cultural enunciations by men and women post-structuralist feminism -> what does deconstruction mean for the study of literary and cultural representation of and by women; in between genders Julia Kristeva no sign if woman Intersectionality = how gender/sex influenced by Lacan “phallus” is always crossed with and by other the psychic expression of the penis markers off difference introduces the term “the maternal” and “semiotic language" Hélèn Cixous “écriture feminine” -> fluid free from fixed meanings and in a constant process Alice Walker woman-of-color feminism womanism -> feminism is not only white  Lesbian criticism Gay criticism grows out of feminist and gay movements cultural logics of same-sex radical critique of patriarchy preference and heterocentrism lesbian separatism in politics influences the foundation of lesbian presses, stonewall (1969) journals and alternative institutions 1970s beginning of gay literary and early theory => lesbians are not “freaks” but human beings; cultural criticism critique of compulsory heterosexuality lesbian perspective as another view rom the margins (f society/culture) central assumptions => lesbian experiences lead ti unique perspectives in literature and culture women-of-color problem of defining lesbian emergence of queer studies -> aims to be anti-essentialist, historical along the axis of gender, sexuality, race, class key concepts naturalization of heterosexuality and heteronormativity gender performances (butler) -> identity is something we perform daily - culturels provides “scripts” for how to perform gender adequately - example: drag as a means of making gender performances visible CRITICAL THEORY combines existing theoretical approaches to study and criticise power structures and the role literary and cultural articulations play texts = reacting to and producing reality = considered to be part of discourses Michael Focault (1926-1984) discourse analysis = power - knowledge - discourse in historical perspectives discourse = group of statements on a certain topic (guided by certain codes and conventions; produces objects of knowledge, mostly in the interest of those in power) no outside of discourse -> every utterance is part of a specific discursive formation studying literary texts = studying the discourses a text incorporates being sensitive to matters of politics in a text archaeology and genealogy = synchronic and diachronic modes of analysis épistème = regulating structures that limit what can be written n any epoch focus lies on the interplays between discourse and practice  the panopticon as an example of “the automatic function the panopticon is a concept used in literature and of power” (Focault) and as a model for society as a whole philosophy to describe a situation where people behave panoptic societies -> surveillance, discipline, control through well because they think they are being watched all the institutions such as school or prisons time. It's like being in a room with a hidden camera: beyond the foucauldean prison = incarceration in the US even if you can't see the camera, you act as if someone is watching you because you know it's there. This idea helps explain how people control themselves when they feel they are under constant observation. a Foucauldian prison is a type of prison described by the philosopher Michel Foucault, where the main goal is to control and reform the behavior of prisoners through constant observation and strict discipline, rather than just punishing them. It's based on the idea that people will behave better if they think they are always being watched. NEW HISTORICISM rehabilitation of history old historicism = history as background of text new historicism = history is textual too -> deconstruction as game changer emphasis on renaissance and romantic literatures (Montrose argues against dichotomy between theory and ideology) group 1b in molc -> texts not only reproduce reality but participate REALITY thick description 1a 1b considers the time and place during which a work was created 2 3 AUTHOR - TEXT READER time and place it refers to time and place it is received 4 attempts to illustrate the circulation of social energy Stephen Greenblatt 1980 the "circulation of social energy" by Stephen Greenblatt is the any work of art is part of manifold social and idea that literature and other cultural works both reflect and cultural exchange and negotiation processes influence the social and cultural values, beliefs, and emotions of how the production and interpretation processes the time. This "energy" moves back and forth between society of literary works are embedded in particular and its cultural expressions, shaping and being shaped by each cultural force fields at specific moments in time other. and locations in space  Terry Eagleton claims textual analysis should be directed at a whole field of practices rather than just those sometimes rather obscurely labelled literature critique of the dichotomy between high and low cultures leads to an emphasis on mass and popular cultures Cultural Studies in the UK Cultural Studies in the US challenges the binary opposition between high and low expanding the canon and definition of what constitutes cultures a text e.g. thrillers, western movies, photography, music, emergence of film studies radio, TV, WWW journal screen literature as communal document and event applying psychoanalytic influence of marxism -> study the social roots, marxist and feminist principles to the study of movies institutional structures and ideological implications of the subject as an effect of the text (and not pre- texts given) emphasis on race, class, gender central figure in UK CS - Stuart hall -> influenced by Antonio Gramsci - the “organic intellectual” POSTCOLONIAL STUDIES 1950s - rise of decolonisation movements around the world early landmark publications - Franz Fanon (the wretched of earth), Edward Said (Orientalism) established in academia since the early 1990s features of postcolonial literatures reclaiming history writing back focus on non-white, non-mal voices counter-discursive practices definition Focal points “to cover all the culture affected by the imperial 1. how literature participates in colonizing other people process from the moment of colonisation to the 2. writing back to undo western hegemony present day” (Ashcroft, Griffith, tiffin 2)  Orientalism and othering (Edward Said) europe’s other is constructed in discourse not present before it othering = turning humans into an other roar is marked negatively the person who is othering can define itself as positive in contradistinction rhetorical strategies = antithesis, synecdoche, stereotype Mimicry, Hybridity, “Third Spaces” (Homi Bhabha) mimicry = colonised is forced to imitate and copy western culture = produces a colonial subject that is “almost the same, but not quite” hybridity = originates in biology = Mikhail Bakhtin’s notion of hybridity as “double-voicing” of language = Bhaba : “neither one of the other” pole of binary opposition, but in-between -> the 3rd space = hybridity occurs on both sides of the colonial divide = hybridity as potential strategy of resistance Race & Ethnicity (Stuart Hall) criticises Bhabha’s neglect of class and gender issues hybridity as marketing concept (united colours of benetton) understanding hegemonic and counter-hegemonic strategies in culture and society points out the heterogeneity of race and racism example : black British culture of the 1980s Subaltern Studies and Strategic Essentialism (Gayatri Slovak) subaltern = non-elite, voiceless, poor and subordinated how can the subaltern speak when it has been silenced in and by dominant (hegemonic) discourses? strategic use of positivist essentialism in a scrupulously visible political interest BLM - black lives matter Resistance Literature (Barbara Harlow) the role of literature in social protest and liberation movements focus on history and language literature = arena of struggle disrupting the worldviews of the western reader through irony, parody, mimicry, mockery a counter-hegemonic aesthetics  History of American Studies started in the 1930s -> Americans started to have a stronger awareness for their history and culture focus on the common man and American exceptionalism became a tool in the Cold War after WWII critique increased in the late 1960s -> especially by women and people of color The new American studies transnational turn focuses on US relations with other parts of the globe studies the role of American culture globally -> film, TV, literature, internet openness to neighbouring fields like women’s studies or African American studies shift from-national to transnational American studies postnational challenges national narratives -> transnational spans cultural patterns across border Post-Structuralism Role of National State focuses on social and cultural edges American exceptionalism is criticised accepts contradictions and ambiguities interdisciplinary methods are emphasised Comparative Approach Chicana Voices openness to other fields re-writing myths like la Llorona shift from post-national to transitional studies focus on Mexican American women’s experiences culture wars border crossing debate over what should be in literary canon between languages, sex, and gender new mestiza is a cultural hybrid post-structuralism and British cultural studies American studies includes non-literary texts - TV etc new historicism and postcolonial focus on history and colonial aspects of the US the new American studies post national and transnational turns early representatives include vernon parrington, Perry miller Matthiessen Transnational Turn and rober e. spiller studies the US’s relationship with other parts of the world looks at American cultures role globally Chicana literature Centers on women’s experiences in a patriarchal environment creates positive role models early works in American studies listed by authors and titles  ECOCRITICISM focuses on how humans interpret and relate to nature 3 waves of eco criticism and the environment 1st wave emerged in response to environmental issues since the focus on nature writing 1970s -> influencing policies and ecological movements primarily by white male authors with limited critical theory Key concepts 2nd wave Anthropocentrism broader text corpus and theory based branches the belief that separates humans from nature, viewing like ecofeminism and animal studies nature as “other” and a social construct Anthropocene 3rd wave the current geological era significantly impacted by human global perspective activity diverse media forms blurring the line between nature and culture ethical concerns promoting sustainability Related Concepts Deep Ecology advocates harmony between humans and nature Posthumanism -> still sees nature as separate from humans challenges the centrality of humans considering animals and technology Eco-Marxism critiques capitalisms role in environmental destruction Cultural ecology examine how literature operates within cultural systems Eco-feminism expression an “ecological unconscious” highlights similarities between the exploitation of women and nature Animal Studies focuses on human-animal equality and rights DIGITAL HUMANITIES Key Concepts Digital Culture studies combines literary/cultural studies with computer examines the role of computers in society and culture, science methods including social media, video games and AI involves using technology to analyse and interpret humanities data distant reading analyzes large text collections using computers to find Applications: patterns Native American literature (addressing historical complementing close reading and environmental themes) American Indian captivity narratives (uses digital critical digital humanities tools to study genre developments, plot structures, addresses issues like systemic racism and sexism in digital and power dynamics in early American literature) projects and practices  ENDS OF THEORY The Role of Humanities Context Double meaning of ends role of the humanities in western universities refers to both termination and goals/purposes lacking a unifying method and theory Value of Theory Critical Thinking and Capitalism questioning what theory is still worth today risk of losing sight of the core object of study by expanding into cultural and media studies integrating of other methods and theories decline of literature as cultural practice Current trends in literary theory Surface readings concept -> no hidden meaning in texts / focuses on the surface structures example -> distant reading as surface reading ; collaboration with computers to analyse Texts political neurality -> surface reading as deliberate move against the notion that literature and criticism are guided by ideology and politics symptomatic reading -> looks for latent or absent meanings in texts but has been criticised as an illusion Standpoint Theories content and politics matter -> especially in ecocriticism racism and social justice -> focus on the standpoints and lived experiences of systematic racism literary criticism as political activism -> literature as a barometer for racism, expanding the canon and the voice of color thesis intersectionality -> examining the symptoms of racism in literature READING PRACTICES William Faulkner - A Rose for Emily "A Rose for Emily" follows the life of Emily Grierson, a reclusive and mysterious woman living in the fictional town of Jefferson, Mississippi. The story is narrated by an unnamed townsperson and unfolds in a nonlinear fashion. Key plot points include: Emily's Early Life: Emily is born into a wealthy, aristocratic family. Her father is controlling and prevents her from forming any significant relationships. Death of Her Father: After her father's death, Emily becomes more isolated. She briefly dates a man named Homer Barron, but he mysteriously disappears. Emily's Reclusiveness: Over the years, Emily becomes a recluse, rarely seen by the townspeople. Discovery After Her Death: After Emily dies, the townspeople discover Homer Barron's corpse in a sealed room in her house, revealing she had poisoned him and kept his body there. Themes Tradition vs. Change: The story contrasts the old South, represented by Emily and her aristocratic lineage, with the evolving society around her. Emily's resistance to change symbolizes the struggle between maintaining traditions and embracing progress. Isolation and Loneliness: Emily's life is marked by profound isolation. Her seclusion is both self-imposed and enforced by her father's control and the town's expectations. Death and Decay: Death permeates the story, from the death of Emily's father to her own death. The decaying state of her house mirrors the decline of old Southern traditions and Emily's own deteriorating mental state. Resistance to Change: Emily's character embodies a resistance to change, illustrated by her refusal to accept her father's death, her relationship with Homer, and her denial of the town's modernization. Symbols The House: Emily's home symbolizes the past, standing as a monument to a bygone era amidst a changing town. The Strand of Hair: The single strand of Emily's gray hair found on the pillow next to Homer Barron's corpse symbolizes the passage of time and Emily's clinging to the past. The Rose: The title's "rose" is often interpreted as a symbol of love, secrecy, and memory, possibly representing the townspeople's complex feelings towards Emily. Narrative Structure The story's nonlinear structure, with its frequent flashbacks and shifts in perspective, reflects the fragmented and subjective nature of memory and history. This structure also builds suspense and gradually reveals the dark truth of Emily's life. Character Analysis Emily Grierson: A tragic figure, Emily's life is shaped by her father's control and the societal expectations placed upon her. Her actions, particularly the murder of Homer Barron, are seen as desperate attempts to assert control over her own life. Homer Barron: A Northern laborer, Homer represents the new, industrialized world clashing with Emily's old Southern values. His disappearance and death highlight the destructive impact of Emily's resistance to change. The Townspeople: The collective "we" of the narrative voice represents the town's perspective, filled with curiosity, judgment, and a complex mix of pity and respect for Emily. Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" is a rich and complex story that uses its Southern Gothic elements to explore themes of isolation, resistance to change, and the clash between tradition and modernity.