Literary Criticism

What is it?What do I do with it?

What is literature?

Any work with a unique aesthetic quality.

Texts that have stood the test of time.

Works of the imagination/creative writing.

Works with a particular set of qualities—e.g., plot, character, tone, setting, etc.

Works that emphasize universal themes (i.e., transcend the merely social or political).

Works that fit the parameters of literary genres: poem, essay, short story, novel.

Anything that is written.

How do we read?

In general, to interpret something is to make it personally meaningful. Our brain takes raw data from the senses and makes it meaningful by relating it to our previous experiences. Most everyday language is fairly straightforward and requires little interpretation. Because literature presents us with more than one possible meaning, interpreting literature requires care and attention.

What is literary criticism?

The disciplined application of theoretical principles for the purpose of analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating literary texts.

SOME TRADITIONAL APPROACHES

Historical—author’s historical moment is key to understanding a literary text

Biographical—author’s personal experiences are central to understanding the text

Social realism (?)—social transparency is key to understanding the text…

NEW CRITICISM*

Meaning resides in the text—not in reader, author, or world

Texts may contain numerous messages, but must have a unifying central theme created by the perfect union of all artistic elements.

looked at literary works on the basis of what is written, and not at the goals of the author or biographical issues

*one type of formalism

READER RESPONSE

Text has many interpretations—text & reader interact to create meaning

Meaning ultimately resides in the reader’s mind or the consensual “mind” of a community of readers (this class, for example)

A text’s truth is relative

Readers may reach the same conclusions about a work--but approach the task quite differently

STRUCTURALISM

Meaning resides in the structure of language, not in art nor in the reader’s mind

Scientific approach to literary analysis: structure of language as a logical sign system

determines meaning Two levels of language: langue (“the King’s English”)

& parole (everyday speech) Interpret a text or part of a text by taking its language

apart (study word derivations, sentence syntax, etc.)

Texts—composed of language, an unstable sign system that always “defers” meaning.Truth is constructed, not “given,” so there’s no such thing as A correct interpretation A strategy of close reading that elicits the ways that key terms and concepts may be paradoxical or self-undermining, rendering their meaning undecidable.

Look for oppositions: good vs. evil, e.g. Show how the text undermines first one, then the other so that good and evil are exposed as “empty” concepts

meaning

NEW HISTORICISM

Literature is one among many socially constructed texts. If there is a difference, it’s the intentional use of the imagination to convey ideas.

History is every bit as subjective as intentionally imaginative texts Purpose of analyzing literature is to locate hidden social

messages, especially those that promote oppression. Texts have no final interpretation Language, though socially constructed, is stable enough to be

useful. Find a small intriguing or odd piece of the text and interpret it by

comparing it to contemporary sign systems—magazines, newspapers, fads, laws. Try to locate uses & abuses of power.

POSTCOLONIALISM

Literature is a political tool—those in power decide what is “art”

Truth is relative Focuses on the influences of colonialism in literature,

especially regarding the historical conflict resulting from the exploitation of less developed countries and indigenous peoples by western nations

Study the author’s (and reader’s) life & times; locate tensions between conflicting cultures; explore the “double consciousness” of colonized & postcolonized writers; observe how colonizers “refashion” the colonized

MARXISM

Emphasizes class conflict

Look for evidence of oppressive ideologies of the dominant social group; look for uses & abuses of power

What workers look like to a capitalist

FEMINIST CRITICISMThe goals of feminist criticism are

1. To develop and uncover a female tradition of writing,

2. to interpret symbolism of women's writing so that it will not be lost or ignored by the male point of view,

3. to rediscover old texts

4. to analyze women writers and their writings from a female perspective

5. to resist sexism in literature

6. to increase awareness of the sexual politics of language and style

Look for evidence of repression, oppression, suppression, subversion, & rebellion in texts by women; study women’s unique ways of understanding and writing about the human condition.

Types of Literary Criticisms (con.)

Modernism - the assessment of the past as different to the modern age, the recognition that the world was becoming more complex, and that the old "final authorities" (God, government, science, and reason) were subject to intense critical scrutiny.

Psychoanalytic – Explores the role of consciousnesses and the unconscious in literature including that of the author, reader, and characters in the text

Queer theory – examines, questions, and criticizes the role of gender identity and sexuality in literature

Literary Analysis

Literary Analysis = A Quest for Meaning

Question: Where can the true meaning of a story, poem, or play be found?

Answer: True meaning can be found between the AUTHOR, the READER, and the TEXT.

What is literary analysis?

How the various components of individual work relate to each other.

How two separate works deal with similar topics/ideas.

How concepts and forms in literaryworks relate to larger political,aesthetic, social, economical,or religious concerns

Task

1. Find a literary criticism for TKAM2. READ it!3. Write an MLA paper that does the following

– summarizes the article and the author’s POV.– Provides you opinion about the author’s criticism

4. Specifications– MLA format– Works Cited Page– 1-2 pages double-spaced– Use at least 2 citations from your article in your paper.

Where do I find it?

• Bloom’s Literary Reference• GALILEO• BOOKS• GOOGLE Scholar (not just www.google.com)

When you’re looking:Make sure you find a literary criticism

not just a summary!

When do I quote literary criticism?• You normally refer to or quote criticism after you've

expressed an idea of your own. • A typical paragraph may consist of a topic sentence

(expressing a portion or subtopic of your interpretation), followed by – an elaboration of the idea– a reference to or brief quote from the work that you're analyzing

(i.e. TKAM)– an explanation of how this passage illustrates your point– a quote or reference from a critic on this passage (or a similar one)– perhaps a brief discussion of the critic's comments.

• Although there is no single best way to incorporate literary criticism into our paper, it would be unusual to base a long section of your paper solely on quotations or paraphrases from others.