Critical Writing PDF

Critical Writing AN OVERVIEW TO LITERARY CRITICISM What is a Critical Perspective? The terms “literary theory” and “critical theory” refer to essentially the same fields of study. They both address ways of looking at literature beyond the typical plot-theme- character-setting stu...

Critical Writing AN OVERVIEW TO LITERARY CRITICISM What is a Critical Perspective? The terms “literary theory” and “critical theory” refer to essentially the same fields of study. They both address ways of looking at literature beyond the typical plot-theme- character-setting studies.  Also… Literary criticism gives us a window into a work of literature. It gives us a particular way of understanding the text from a specific viewpoint.  What are the benefits of studying a work from more than one critical perspective? One of the views is likely to affirm your perspective and speak to what you see in the literature you are studying. Studying a view different from yours—not to disagree with it, but to understand it—helps you understand those who hold that view. Studying a work from more than one view gives you a deeper understanding of the author’s work and a better appreciation for the richness of it. The Common Critical Theories A Riddle A father and his son are in a car accident. The father dies at the scene and the son is rushed to the hospital. At the hospital the surgeon looks at the boy and says "I can't operate on this boy, he is my son".... How can this be? FEMINIST THEORY...the ways in which literature (and other cultural productions) reinforce or undermine the economic, political, social, and psychological oppression of women Differences between men and women Women in positions of power and power dynamics between men and women The female experience  Feminist Principles that Inform Feminist Literary Criticism Women are oppressed by patriarchy economically, politically, socially, and psychologically; Patriarchal ideology is the primary means by which they are kept oppressed  Examining from a Feminist Perspective Consider the potentially misogynist theme of abused-girl-waiting-to-be- rescued-by prince. Consider the values conveyed in the portrayal of the “good girl” as physically beautiful and the “wicked girls” as physically ugly Once the wife of a rich man was on her deathbed and she said to her daughter Cinderella: Next came the ball, as you all know. Be devout. Be good. Then I will smile It was a marriage market. down from heaven in the seam of a cloud. The prince was looking for a wife. The man took another wife who had All but Cinderella were preparing two daughters, pretty enough and gussying up for the event. but with hearts like blackjacks. Cinderella begged to go too. Cinderella was their maid. Her stepmother threw a dish of lentils She slept on the sooty hearth each night into the cinders and said: Pick them and walked around looking like Al Jolson. up in an hour and you shall go. Her father brought presents home from town, The white dove brought all his friends; jewels and gowns for the other women all the warm wings of the fatherland came, but the twig of a tree for Cinderella. and picked up the lentils in a jiffy. She planted that twig on her mother's grave No, Cinderella, said the stepmother, and it grew to a tree where a white dove sat. you have no clothes and cannot dance. Whenever she wished for anything the dove That's the way with stepmothers. would drop it like an egg upon the ground. The bird is important, my dears, so heed him. Cinderella went to the tree at the grave and cried forth like a gospel singer: Now he would find whom the shoe fit Mama! Mama! My turtledove, and find his strange dancing girl for keeps. send me to the prince's ball! He went to their house and the two sisters The bird dropped down a golden dress were delighted because they had lovely feet. and delicate little slippers. The eldest went into a room to try the slipper on Rather a large package for a simple bird. but her big toe got in the way so she simply So she went. Which is no surprise. sliced it off and put on the slipper. Her stepmother and sisters didn't The prince rode away with her until the white dove recognize her without her cinder face told him to look at the blood pouring forth. and the prince took her hand on the spot That is the way with amputations. and danced with no other the whole day. They just don't heal up like a wish. The other sister cut off her heel As nightfall came she thought she'd better but the blood told as blood will. get home. The prince walked her home The prince was getting tired. and she disappeared into the pigeon house He began to feel like a shoe salesman. and although the prince took an axe and broke But he gave it one last try. it open she was gone. Back to her cinders. This time Cinderella fit into the shoe These events repeated themselves for three days. like a love letter into its envelope. However on the third day the prince covered the palace steps with cobbler's wax and Cinderella's gold shoe stuck upon it.  Marxist Theory Proponent: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels Karl Marx perceived human history to have consisted of a series of struggles between classes--between the oppressed and the oppressing (“the haves” and “the havenots”). Marx thought that materialism was the ultimate driving force in history  Marxist Theory Marxist criticism examines the nature of power structures within a novel. A Marxist critic asks questions like: Who has power? Who lacks power? What is the relationship between power and wealth? Who is exploited by whom and why? How does power remain constant or shift throughout a work of literature? What makes certain characters powerful or powerless? Examining from a Marxist Perspective Examining from a Marxist Perspective The spider The waterspout is The bourgeoisie The sun is the symbolizes the the myth of that stops the easing of proletariat, and equality. proletariat from difficulties. It his ongoing achieving their provides however, struggle against goals. Man vs. a false hope, the bourgeoisie. Man. prolonging the agony of the spider. Psychoanalytic Theory Proponent: Sigmund Freud views works through the lens of psychology looks either at the psychological motivations of the characters or of the authors themselves Freudian Approach to Personality Three Parts to an Individual’s Psyche the id: the instinctual, pleasure seeking part of the mind the ego: the part of the mind that controls but does not repress the id's impulses, releasing them in a healthy way the superego: the part of the mind that represses the id's impulses Freudian Drives Freud believed that much human behavior is motivated by sexuality Oedipus complex: a boy's unconscious rivalry with his father for the love of his mother Electra complex: a girl’s unconscious rivalry with her mother for the love of her father When we read a text using the Freudian theory, we can analyze the characters’ decisions and actions based on how much social norms they would or could break. Formalist Theory Based on analysis OF THE TEXT rather than a discussion of issues. Argues that a text is an AUTONOMOUS entity and not dependent on the author’s purpose. involves a close reading of the text all information essential to the interpretation of a work must be found within the work itself no need to bring in outside information about the history, politics, or society of the time, or about the author's life Examining with Formalist Theory Look for symbolic, or some other, significance for the specific items and animals chosen (for the coach and staff) and/or the numbers of each chosen. Compare the speech patterns of Cinderella and the stepmother and stepsisters. Are there noticeable differences in cadence? Do any use more (or less) figurative or poetic language than the others? Do any speak noticeably more (or less) than the others? Are there any internal ironies or inconsistencies that render the work disunified? New Historicism Traditional history is, by its nature, a subjective narrative, usually told from the point of view of the powerful. The losers of history do not have the means to write their stories, nor is there usually an audience interested in hearing them. Most cultures, once dominated by another, are forced to forget their past. (MELIEU) To maintain its sovereignty, the culture of power simply does not allow the defeated culture to be remembered. New Historicism New historicism takes two forms: Analysis of the work in the context in which it was created Analysis of the work in the context in which it was critically evaluated. New historicists assert that literature “does not exist outside time and place and cannot be interpreted without reference to the era in which it was written” (Kirszner and Mandell 2038).  Examining using New Historicism What can we infer about the society in which this story—considering, especially, the milieu or the present society—would evolve and be told to young children? What can we infer about property and inheritance laws in the society in which “Cinderella” evolved? What can we infer about the society’s view of royalty and monarchic power? Archetypal Theory Proponent: Carl Jung he states that mankind possesses a "collective unconscious" that contains these archetypes and that is common to all of humanity concerns with RECURRING PATTERN of tradition, culture, inborn images, and beliefs that affect the literary work. (TROPES)  Reader Response analyzes the reader's role in the production of meaning lies at the opposite end of the spectrum from formalism the text itself has no meaning until it is read by a reader The reader creates the meaning. can take into account the strategies employed by the author to elicit a certain response from readers denies the possibility that works are universal (i.e. that they will always mean more or less the same thing to readers everywhere)  How is the reader/audience meant to feel when Cinderella finally wins over the Prince? Who is the most sympathetic character of the film? Why are we drawn to these characters? Add a Slide Title - 5