Transcript Literary Criticism An Introduction  Often when we begin to explore works of literature we have opinions about the content ◦ how to interpret and.

Literary Criticism
An Introduction

Often when we begin to explore works of
literature we have opinions about the
content
◦ how to interpret and analyze becomes a great
and exciting task
◦ Through the course of this unit we will examine
how literary criticisms will assist you in
interpretation and analysis
Analysis and Interpretation

In school and in the workplace, you are
expected to interpret and/or analyse
information and actions

You are asked questions like, what do you
think that means?
◦ Your answer is a result of your perspective.
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However, if your interpretation is based only
on your perspective, your responses and
knowledge will always be limited
◦ Two people reading same text can come up with
completely different perspectives

You must be aware of an array of possible
perspectives so that you may build your own
interpretation and develop your own analysis
Literary criticism is the application of
different critical theories to texts, which
results in more varied analyses of life and
literature.
 Some of these critical theories include;
Formalism, Marxist criticism,
Feminist criticism, Post Colonialism,
Psychoanalytic…etc

These theories have developed and
evolved overtime in attempts to explain
and understand the ever evolving
thoughts, ideas, conflicts and emotions of
humanity.
 There is no one theory that offers a
"correct" reading of any given text.
Instead, these theories allow readers to
uncover new meanings, new perspectives
and new ways of "seeing" and interpreting
texts and, by extension, the world.
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Timeline (most of these overlap)
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Moral Criticism, Dramatic Construction (~360 BCpresent)
Formalism, New Criticism, Neo-Aristotelian
Criticism (1930s-present)
Psychoanalytic Criticism, Jungian Criticism(1930spresent)
Marxist Criticism (1930s-present)
Reader-Response Criticism (1960s-present)
Structuralism/Semiotics (1920s-present)
Post-Structuralism/Deconstruction (1966-present)
New Historicism/Cultural Studies (1980s-present)
Post-Colonial Criticism (1990s-present)
Feminist Criticism (1960s-present)
Gender/Queer Studies (1970s-present)