Literary Criticism - World Literature PDF

LESSON 4 literary CRITICISM WORLD LITERATURE Learning Objectives 1 Describe the characteristics of the different literary theories. 2 Examine a literary text based on a literary criticism applied to it. 3 Justify the use of a literary theory based on its application in the sample text. ...

LESSON 4 literary CRITICISM WORLD LITERATURE Learning Objectives 1 Describe the characteristics of the different literary theories. 2 Examine a literary text based on a literary criticism applied to it. 3 Justify the use of a literary theory based on its application in the sample text. What does it mean to give criticism? literary criticism It addresses ways of looking at literature beyond the typical plot-theme-character-setting studies. It asks what literature is, what it does, and what it is worth. (Encyclopedia Britannica) The different schools of literary criticism provide us with lenses which ultimately reveal important aspects of the literary work. It is the method used to interpret any given work of literature. It is the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Where is meaning in a text? Why is literary criticism important? importance OF LITERARY CRITICISM One of the views 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 text from more than one view gives you deeper understanding of the authors’ work and a better appreciation for the richness of it. LITERARY THEORIES  Had we but world enough and time, Deserts of vast eternity. This coyness, lady, were no crime. Thy beauty shall no more be found; We would sit down, and think which way Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound To walk, and pass our long love’s day. My echoing song; then worms shall try Thou by the Indian Ganges’ side That long-preserved virginity, Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide And your quaint honour turn to dust, Of Humber would complain. I would And into ashes all my lust; Love you ten years before the flood, The grave’s a fine and private place, And you should, if you please, refuse But none, I think, do there embrace. Till the conversion of the Jews. Now therefore, while the youthful hue My vegetable love should grow Sits on thy skin like morning dew, Vaster than empires and more slow; And while thy willing soul transpires An hundred years should go to praise At every pore with instant fires, Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze; Now let us sport us while we may, Two hundred to adore each breast, And now, like amorous birds of prey, to But thirty thousand to the rest; Rather at once our time devour An age at least to every part, Than languish in his slow-chapped power. his And the last age should show your heart. Let us roll all our strength and all For, lady, you deserve this state, Our sweetness up into one ball, coy Nor would I love at lower rate. And tear our pleasures with rough strife But at my back I always hear Through the iron gates of life: mistress Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near; Thus, though we cannot make our sun andrew marvell And yonder all before us lie Stand still, yet we will make him run. HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL APPROACH "No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone." T.S. Eliot "... almost every literary work is attended by a host of outside circumstances which, once we expose and explore them, suffuse it with additional meaning." Richard D. Altick  HISTORICAL APPROACH guide questions How does it reflect the time in which it was written? How accurately does the story depict the time in which it was set? What literary or historical influences helped to shape the form and content of the work? 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.) What other historical literary works may have influenced the writer? What historical events or movements might have influenced this writer? Does it provide an opposing view of the period’s prevailing values? How important is it the historical context (the work’s and the reader’s) to interpreting the work? BIographicAL APPROACH guide questions What aspects of the author’s personal life are relevant to this story? Which of the author’s stated beliefs are reflected in the work? Does the writer challenge or support the values of her contemporaries? What seem to be the author’s major concerns? Do they reflect any of the writer’s personal experiences? Do any of the events in the story correspond to events experienced by the author? Do any of the characters in the story correspond to real people? MORAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACH Literature should be delightful and instructive. - Horace "The basic position of such critics is that the larger function of literature is to teach morality and to probe philosophical issues." Guerin et al. PHILOSOphicAL APPROACH guide questions What view of life does the story present? Which character best articulates this viewpoint? According to this work’s view of life, what is mankind’s relationship to God? To the universe? What moral statement, if any, does this story make? Is it explicit or implicit? What is the author’s attitude toward his world? Toward fate? Toward God? What is the author’s conception of good and evil? What does the work say about the nature of good or evil? What does the work say about human nature? Psychological APPROACH "Psychological interpretation can afford many profound clues toward solving a work's thematic and symbolic mysteries." Guerin et al. "Almost all symbolism is sexual, in its widest sense, taking the word as the deeply-buried primal urge behind all expressions of love, from the cradle to the grave." Marie Bonaparte  PsychologicAL APPROACH guide questions What forces are motivating the characters? Which behaviors of the characters are conscious ones? Which are unconscious? What conscious or unconscious conflicts exist between the characters? Given their backgrounds, how plausible is the characters’ behavior? Are the theories of Freud or other psychologists applicable to this work? To what degree? Do any of the characters correspond to the parts of the tripartite self? (Id, ego, superego) What roles do psychological disorders and dreams play in this story? How does the work reflect the writer’s personal psychology? What do the characters’ emotions and behaviors reveal about their psychological states? How does the work reflect the unconscious dimensions of the writer’s mind? GENDER STUDIES/ FEMINIST APPROACH “... the rules have little to do with nature and everything to do with culture." David Richter "[Gender is a construct]... an effect of language, a culture, and its institutions." Ross C. Murfin “Gender, not sex, makes an older man open the door for a young woman, and gender makes her expect it, resent it, or experience mixed feelings.” Guerin et al.  feminist APPROACH guide questions How are women’s lives portrayed in the work? Is the form and content of the work influenced by the writer’s gender? How do male and female characters relate to one another? Are these relationships sources of conflict? Are these conflicts resolved? Does the work challenge or affirm traditional views of women? How do the images of women in the story reflect patriarchal social forces that have impeded women’s efforts to achieve full equality with men? What marital expectations are imposed on the characters? What effect do these expectations have? If a female character were male, how would the story be different (and vice versa)? How does the marital status of a character affect her decisions or happiness? formalisT APPROACH “The reading stands on its own.” Guerin et al. “Formalism, then, focuses on the text, finding all meaning and value in it and regarding everything else as extraneous, including readers, whom formalist critics regard as downright dangerous as sources of interpretation.” Guerin et al.  formalist APPROACH guide questions How do various elements of the work reinforce its meaning? 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)? How does the writer’s diction reveal or reflect the work’s meaning? What is the effect of the plot, and what parts specifically produce that effect? What figures of speech are used? (metaphors, similes, etc.) Note the writer’s use of paradox, irony, symbol, plot, characterization, and style of narration. What effects are produced? Do any of these relate to one another or to the theme? What tone and mood are created at various parts of the work? How does the author create tone and mood? What relationship is there between tone and mood and the effect of the story? How do the various elements interact to create a unified whole?  A MARTIAN SENDS A POSTCARD HOME CRAIG RAINE Caxtons are mechanical birds with many wings for movement, so quick there is a film alone. No one is exempt and some are treasured for their markings – to watch for anything missed. and everyone’s pain has a different smell. they cause the eyes to melt But time is tied to the wrist At night, when all the colours die, or the body to shriek without pain. or kept in a box, ticking with impatience. they hide in pairs I have never seen one fly, but In homes, a haunted apparatus sleeps, and read about themselves – sometimes they perch on the hand. that snores when you pick it up. in colour, with their eyelids shut. Mist is when the sky is tired of flight If the ghost cries, they carry it and rests its soft machine on ground: to their lips and soothe it to sleep then the world is dim and bookish with sounds. And yet, they wake it up like engravings under tissue paper. deliberately, by tickling with a finger. Rain is when the earth is television. Only the young are allowed to suffer It has the property of making colours darker. openly. Adults go to a punishment room Model T is a room with the lock inside – with water but nothing to eat. a key is turned to free the world They lock the door and suffer the noises reader response ”... a text does not even exist, in a sense, until it is read by some reader. Whatever meaning it may have inheres in the reader, and thus it is the reader who should say what a text means.” Guerin et al. reader response guide questions How does the text invite response? How does your experience inform your understanding of the text? What expectations did/do you have of the text? Are these expectations fulfilled? Are they redirected? marxist APPROACH Political and social change is driven by class struggle. marxist approach guide questions Whom does it benefit if the work or effort is accepted/successful/believed, etc.? What is the social class of the author? Which class does the work claim to represent? What values does it reinforce? What values does it subvert? What conflict can be seen between the values the work champions and those it portrays? What social classes do the characters represent? How do characters from different classes interact or conflict? mythological & archetypal approach “Myths are by nature collective and communal; they bind a tribe or a nation together in common psychological and spiritual activities.” Guerin et al. "Myth is the expression of a profound sense of togetherness of feeling and of action and of wholeness of living." Philip Wheelright “Furthermore, similar motifs or themes may be found among many different mythologies, and certain images that recur in the myths of peoples widely separated in time and place tend to have a common meaning or, more accurately, tend to elicit comparable psychological responses and to serve similar cultural functions... archetypes are universal symbols.” Guerin et al. myth/archetypal guide questions What aspects of the work create deep universal responses to it? How does the work reflect the hopes, fears, and expectations of entire cultures (for example, the ancient Greeks)? How do myths attempt to explain the unexplainable: origin of man? Purpose and destiny of human beings? What common human concerns are revealed in the story? How do stories from one culture correspond to those of another? (For example, creation myths, flood myths, etc.) How does the story reflect the experiences of death and rebirth? What archetypal events occur in the story? (Quest? Initiation? Scapegoating? Descents into the underworld? Ascents into heaven?) myth/archetypal guide questions What archetypal images occur? (Water, rising sun, setting sun, symbolic colors) What archetypal characters appear in the story? (Mother Earth? Femme Fatal? Wise old man? Wanderer?) What archetypal settings appear? (Garden? Desert?) How and why are these archetypes embodied in the work? THE HERO’S JOURNEY JOSEPH CAMPBELL THE HERO HERO’S JOURNEY - ARCHETYPES The hero is the central figure of the story (protagonist) who undergoes a journey, facing challenges and transformations. The hero often starts as an ordinary person who is then called to adventure. They are present throughout the entire journey, from the ordinary world to the return with newfound knowledge or power. THE SHADOW HERO’S JOURNEY - ARCHETYPES The shadow is the main antagonist of the story. The shadow reflects the darker aspects of the hero, sometimes represented as the mirror image (opposite) of the hero and their beliefs. Overall, they are the antagonist or villains present throughout the whole story in varied ways. THE MENTOR HERO’S JOURNEY - ARCHETYPES This character serves as a guide or teacher to the hero, providing them with advice, training, or magical assistance. The mentor is often a wise or experienced figure, although there have been literary and cinematic variances. THE ALLY HERO’S JOURNEY - ARCHETYPES Allies are friends or companions who support and accompany the hero through their journey. They often complement the hero's skills and help them face challenges. THE THRESHOLD GUARDIAN HERO’S JOURNEY - ARCHETYPES These characters serve as obstacles the hero must overcome or circumvent on their journey. They are not always enemies but are present within the story to test the hero and give them the belief and ability to continue on their adventure. THE HERALD HERO’S JOURNEY - ARCHETYPES The herald is the character that initiates the call to adventure, pushing the hero to action, or providing the news or event that triggers their journey. THE SHAPESHIFTER HERO’S JOURNEY - ARCHETYPES This archetype's loyalty and role are often unclear, and they can serve as an ally or an enemy to the hero. Sometimes both. Their unpredictable nature adds complexity to the story, usually resulting in twists and turns within the plot. THE trickster HERO’S JOURNEY - ARCHETYPES The trickster usually adds levity to the story through comic relief. They can be allies or enemies, but typically they cause trouble for both. THE tempter/temptress HERO’S JOURNEY - ARCHETYPES This archetype can be of any gender and represents temptation or distraction that diverts the hero from their path. postcolonialism “Many Third World writers focus on both colonialism and the changes created in a postcolonial culture. Among the many challenges facing postcolonial writers are the attempts both to resurrect their culture and to combat the pre-conceptions about their culture.” Guerin et al. postcolonialism guide questions How does the literary text, explicitly or allegorically, represent various aspects of colonial oppression?  What does the text reveal about the problems of post-colonial identity, including the relationship between personal and cultural identity and such issues as double consciousness and hybridity? What person(s) or groups does the work identify as "other" or stranger? How are such persons/groups described and treated? What does the text reveal about the politics and/or psychology of anti-colonialist resistance?  What does the text reveal about the operations of cultural difference - the ways in which race, religion, class, gender, sexual orientation, cultural beliefs, and customs combine to form individual identity - in shaping our perceptions of ourselves, others, and the world in which we live? postcolonialism guide questions Are there meaningful similarities among the literatures of different post-colonial populations?  How does a literary text in the Western canon reinforce or undermine colonialist ideology through its representation of colonization and/or its inappropriate silence about colonized peoples? ecocriticism Green analysis with emphasis on natural world and modern environmental concerns ECOCRITICISM guide questions How is nature represented in this text? How has the concept of nature changed over time?  How is the setting of the play/film/text related to the environment?  What are the influences on metaphors and representations of the land and the environment on how we treat it?  How do we see issues of environmental disaster and crises reflected in popular culture and literary works?  How are animals represented in this text and what is their relationship to humans?  How do the roles or representations of men and women towards the environment differ in this play/film/text/etc.?  ECOCRITICISM guide questions Where is the environment placed in the power hierarchy?  How is nature empowered or oppressed in this work?  What parallels can be drawn between the sufferings and oppression of groups of people (women, minorities, immigrants, etc.) and treatment of the land?  What rhetorical moves are used by environmentalists, and what can we learn from them about our cultural attitudes towards nature? REFERENCES and links https://libguides.uta.edu/literarycriticism/theories https://cdnsm5- ss3.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_3705599/File/Academics/English/Literary_Criti cism_Generic_questions.pdf https://tkacmaz.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/critical-approaches.pdf https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44688/to-his-coy-mistress