Transcript History and Literature.ppt

History and Literature
CONSIDERING CONNECTIONS
Literary Elements Impacted by History
 Setting
 Authorial Intention (and Reader Interpretation)
 Allusion
 Archetypes
Setting
 Within dystopian literature we often can’t research
the setting of the piece – as the setting is futuristic.
Though knowledge of the author’s history can clarify
other issues of interpretation.
 Setting and its impacts:
• CHARACTERIZATION
• IMAGERY
• THEME – ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR DYSTOPIAN LITERATURE
 Example: Sinclair Ross’ story “The Lamp at Noon”
Authorial Intention
 There is a debate amongst literary critics regarding
the role of the author’s intentions in reader
interpretation. It becomes a matter of whether or
not we should care.
 Take a look at the poem you have been given – based
on the evidence in the text of the poem, what is the
theme? Setting? Imagery?
Allusion
 What is an allusion?
 Types of allusions:
•
•
•
•
Historical
Biblical
Literary
Mythic
 How does knowing history impact your ability to
work with allusions?
Archetypes
 Jungian archetypes


Character: The hero, the outcast, the star-crossed lovers, the shrew
or siren, the scapegoat
Situations/Symbols: the task, the quest, water, loss of innocence,
the gift.
 Societal archetypes



Jock, Nerd, Slacker, etc.
Less universal – these shift and change
Consider the impact of Disney in your understanding of archetypes.
 What are the universal stories?



Feast and famine
Love
Quest
Final Thoughts on History and Literature
 Is one subordinate to the other?
OR
 Does history create literature and, in turn, literature
create history?