Critical Approaches to Literature PDF

Recall on Critical Reading Critical Reading- It is the process of looking for ways on how the subject matter was developed or written The process of critical reading specifically involves: Determining the central claim or purpose of the text Making some judgements about context i.e. intended r...

Recall on Critical Reading Critical Reading- It is the process of looking for ways on how the subject matter was developed or written The process of critical reading specifically involves: Determining the central claim or purpose of the text Making some judgements about context i.e. intended reader, the author’s background, cultural and historical background and other factors that may influence the ideas presented Distinguishing the analysis and organization employed by the writer Examining the evidence as arguments Evaluating the strength and weaknesses of the assumptions A claim is a statement that an author discusses, explains, or proves. A claim of fact is a type of claim that affirms or asserts that a statement is true or untrue. A claim of value is a type of claim that evaluates, appraises, or judges an idea. It involves stating whether something is just or unjust, good or bad, or right or wrong. A claim of policy is a statement proposing an action that should be undertaken as a solution to a particular problem. Erving Goffman (1979) According to him, masculinity and femininity are portrayed in the advertisements as consequences of the biological differences between men and women when in fact, the representations are social constructions. “women were generally portrayed as subordinate to men and consequently inferior” Critical Approaches to Literature Approach What is it? Formalist Criticism FOCUS OF ANALYSIS: elements of form- style, structure, tone, imagery, etc.-that are found within the text. GOAL: to determine how such elements work together with the text's content to shape its effects upon readers. Biographical Criticism Begins with the simple but central insight that literature is written by actual people and that understanding an author's life can help readers more thoroughly comprehend the work. Historical Criticism Seeks to understand a literary work by investigating the social, cultural, and intellectual context that produced it-a context that necessarily includes the artist's biography and milieu.  Gender Criticism Examines how sexual identity influences the creation and reception of literary works. The bulk of gender criticism, however, is feminist and takes as a central precept that the patriarchal attitudes that have dominated western thought have resulted, consciously or unconsciously, in literature "full of unexamined 'maleproduced' assumptions." Sociological Criticism (Marxism) Examines literature in the cultural, economic and political context in which it is written or received ✓ Role and function in the society ✓ Social impact ✓ Economic role ✓ Cultural effect ✓ Political role Reader-Response Criticism -transaction between the physical text and the mind of a reader -to describe what happens in the reader's mind while interpreting a text" and reflects that reading, like writing, is a creative process -to describe what happens in the reader's mind while interpreting a text" and reflects that reading, like writing, is a creative process Feminist Criticism Examines images of women and concepts on feminine. Feminist critics attempt to correct or supplement what they regard as a predominantly male-dominated critical perspective. Guide Questions in Analyzing Texts Using Different Approaches I. Formalistic Approach: This approach focuses on form. The analysis stresses items like symbols, images, and structure and how one part of the work relates to other parts and to the whole. A. How is the work’s structure unified? B. How do various elements of the work reinforce its meaning? C. What recurring patterns (repeated or related words, images, etc.) can you find? What is  the effect of these patterns or motifs? How does repetition reinforce the theme(s)? D. How does the writer’s diction reveal or reflect the work’s meaning? E. What figures of speech are used? (metaphors, similes, etc.) II. Philosophical Approach: This approach focuses on themes, view of the world, moral statements, author’s philosophy, etc. A. What view of life does the story present? Which character best articulates this viewpoint? B. According to this work’s view of life, what is mankind’s relationship to God? To the universe? C. What moral statement, if any, does this story make? Is it explicit or implicit? D. What is the author’s attitude toward his world? Toward fate? Toward God? E. What is the author’s conception of good and evil? III. Biographical Approach: Focuses on connection of work to author’s personal experiences. A. What aspects of the author’s personal life are relevant to this story? B. Which of the author’s stated beliefs are reflected in the work? C. Does the writer challenge or support the values of her contemporaries? D. What seem to be the author’s major concerns? Do they reflect any of the writer’s personal experiences? E. Do any of the events in the story correspond to events experienced by the author? F. Do any of the characters in the story correspond to real people? IV. Historical Approach: This approach focuses on connection of work to the historical period in which it was written; literary historians attempt to connect the historical background of the work to specific aspects of the work. A. How does it reflect the time in which it was written? B. How accurately does the story depict the time in which it is set? C. What literary or historical influences helped to shape the form and content of the work? D. How does the story reflect the attitudes and beliefs of the time in which it was written or set? (Consider beliefs and attitudes related to race, religion, politics, gender, society, philosophy, etc.) E. What other literary works may have influenced the writer? F. What historical events or movements might have influenced this writer? V. Psychological Approach: This approach focuses on the psychology of characters. A. What forces are motivating the characters? B. Which behaviors of the characters are conscious ones? Which are unconscious? C. What conscious or unconscious conflicts exist between the characters? D. Do any of the characters correspond to the parts of the tripartite self? (Id, ego, superego) E. How does the work reflect the writer’s personal psychology?  F. What do the characters’ emotions and behaviors reveal about their psychological states? G. How does the work reflect the unconscious dimensions of the writer’s mind?