Literary Criticism

Literary criticism describes the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Literary criticism is made up of a number of different types of critical approaches. You should view critical approaches as templates or lenses applied to an object under consideration; they bring certain qualities into focus or call our attention to particular issues.

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Why do we use different forms of criticism?

Literary criticism is an extension of the social activity of interpreting. One reader writes down his or her views on what a particular work of literature means so that others can respond to that interpretation. The critic's specific purpose may be to make value judgments on a work, to explain his or her interpretation of the work, or to provide other readers with relevant historical or biographical information. The critic's general purpose, in most cases, is to enrich the reader's understanding of the literary work.

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Why is criticism important for students?

As a reader of literature, you may find the views of others very helpful in developing your own interpretations. When you write an essay about literature, you will also find criticism helpful for supporting your points. But criticism should

never be a substitute for your own original

views. By reading the critic, you add yet another point of view to yours and the author's.

THE BASICS OF SOME CRITICAL APPROACHES

Formalism / New Criticism:

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Definition:

A formalistic approach to literature, once called New Criticism, involves a close reading of the text. Formalistic critics believe that all information essential to the interpretation of a work must be found within the work itself.

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Formalist and New Critic scholars believe there is no need to bring in outside information about the history, politics, or society of the time, or about the author's life.

Formalistic critics do not view works through the lens of feminism, psychology, mythology, or any other such standpoint, and they are not interested in the work's affect on the reader. Formalistic critics spend much time analyzing irony, paradox, imagery, and metaphor. They are also interested in the work's setting, characters, symbols, and point of view.

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• This approach can be performed without much research, and it emphasizes the value of literature apart from its context (in effect makes literature timeless). Virtually all critical approaches must begin here.

Historical / Biographical Approach:

• • Definition: times).

Historical / Biographical critics see works as the reflection of an author's life and times (or of the characters' life and These critics believe it is necessary to know about the author and the political, economical, and sociological context of his/her times in order to truly understand their works.

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This approach works well for some works which are obviously political in nature. For example, readers must know that Milton was blind, for instance, for "On His Blindness" to have any meaning. A Historical/Biographical approach to reading and understanding a text is also necessary in order to place allusions in their proper classical, political, or social background.

Psychological Approach:

• Definition: Psychological critics view works through the lens of psychology. They look at the psychological motivations of the characters. Most frequently, psychological critics apply Freudian psychology to works, as well as approaches based on the works of philosopher Carl Jung (known as a Jungian approach).

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• It can be a useful tool for understanding some works, especially works in which characters obviously have psychological issues. Like the biographical approach, knowing something about a writer's psychological make-up can give readers insight into his work.

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Mythological /Archetypal Approaches:

Definition: A mythological / archetypal approach to literature assumes that there is a collection of symbols, images, characters, and motifs (i.e. archetypes) that evoke basically the same response in all people. According to the psychologist Carl Jung, mankind possesses a "collective unconscious" that contains these archetypes and that are common to all of humanity.

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• Myth critics identify these archetypal patterns and discuss how they function in the works. They believe that these archetypes are the source of much of literature's power. The form of criticism provides a universalistic approach to literature and identifies a reason why certain literature may survive the test of time. It works well with works that are highly symbolic.

Examples of Archetypes • • • • • • • • Some Archetypes: archetypal women - the Good Mother, the Terrible Mother water - creation, birth-death-resurrection, purification, fertility, growth garden - paradise (Eden), innocence, fertility desert - spiritual emptiness, death, hopelessness red - blood, sacrifice, passion, disorder green - growth, fertility black - chaos, death, evil destruction serpent - evil, sensuality, mystery, wisdom, seven - perfection hero archetype -The hero is involved in a quest and he overcomes obstacles.

Feminist Approach:

• Definition: Feminist criticism is concerned with the impact of gender on writing and reading. A feminist approach does not simply look at literature from female writers or from female characters. Instead, a feminist approach to understanding literature attempts to uncover what a particular text has to say about gender and gender differences.

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• Women have been generally underrepresented in the traditional cannon, and a feminist approach to literature redresses this problem. Feminist literary criticism is often misunderstood as anti patriarchal or 'male bashing'.

Marxist Theory

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Examines the issues of class and poverty found within the text.

Reader Response Criticism:

• Definition: Reader response criticism analyzes the reader's role in the production of meaning. It lies at the opposite end of the spectrum from formalistic criticism.

Reader Response Criticism:

• In reader response criticism, the text itself has no meaning until it is read by a reader. The reader creates the meaning. It denies the possibility that works are universal (i.e. that they will always mean more or less the same thing to readers everywhere). Therefore, we can understand someone's reading as a function of personal identity. It recognizes that different people view works differently, and that people's interpretations change over time.