2. • LITERARY CRITICISM involves the
reading, interpretation and commentary
of a specific text or texts which have
been designated as literature.
THE RELATIONSHIP OF LITERARY
CRITICISM TO LITERARY THEORY
___________________________________________________
3. THE RELATIONSHIP OF LITERARY
CRITICISM TO LITERARY THEORY
________________________________________________________
• 2 conventions/assumptions which tend to be inherent
in its practice are:
1. That criticism is secondary to literature itself and
dependent on it.
2. The interpretations or judgements seem to assume
that the literary text which they are addressing is
unquestionably literature.
4. • If literary criticism involves the reading, analysis, explication, and
interpretation of text which are designated as literary, then theory
shoulddo2 things:
1. It ought to provide the readers with a range of criteria for
identifying literature in the first place,
2. Make us aware of the methods and procedures which we employ in
the practice of literary criticism, so that we not onlyinterrogatethe text,
but also the waysin which we readandinterpretthe text.
THE RELATIONSHIP OF LITERARY
CRITICISM TO LITERARY THEORY
_____________________________________________________
5. THE RELATIONSHIP OF LITERARY
CRITICISM TO LITERARY THEORY
• LITERARY CRITICISM is best
understood as the application of a
literarytheorytospecifictexts.
• It also involves the understanding and
appreciationofliterarytext.
________________________________________________________
7. MARXIST LITERARY THEORY
_______________________________________________________
• This theory aims to explain literature in relation to society.—
that literature can only be properly understood within a
larger framework of socialreality.
• Marxist believe that any theory treats literature in isolation
(for instance, as pure structure, or as a product of the
author’s individual mental processes) and keeps isolation,
divorcing it from history and society, will be deficient in its
ability to explain what literature is.
8. MARXIST LITERARY THEORY
_______________________________________________________
• Marxist literary critics start by looking at the
structure of history and society (literatureare mere
products of history) and then see whether the
literary work reflects or distorts this structure.
• It is through the theories of class struggle,
politics and economics that Marxist literary
criticism emerged.
9. MARXIST LITERARY THEORY
_______________________________________________________
• Marxist literary criticism maintains that a
writer’s social class and its prevailing
ideology (outlook, values, tacit assumptions)
have a major bearing on what is written
by a member of the class.
• The writers are constantly formed by
their social contexts.
10. THE FARMER'S SON
There is great power in reason
It comes like so much rain
Or like strong wind in a dry month
My father was bent
by work
his shoulders were bend
by words
in a contract
he never understood
While I was still
a young man
he send me off
to school
and bid me walk
with straight shoulders
Learn, he said
learn words
that you may pry off
these letters
that have made me
old and bent
I came back
many years later
with the words
I knew he wanted
but by then
it was too late
I listened to him
die with words:
you are lucky
to have learned words
they will keep you
from having bent
shoulders
By his deathbed
I cried
and spat out
letter's while
my shoulders bent
with grief
byAlfredo Navarro Salanga
____________________________________________________
11. How to Apply Marxist Theory to Literature
Answering these questions will help you to apply the Marxist theory to literature.
1. What role does class play in the literary work?
2. How does the author analyze class relations?
3. What does the author say about oppression?
4. How do characters overcome oppression?
5. Does the work support the economic and social status quo, or does it advocate change?
6. Does the work serve as propaganda for the status quo? If so, in what way does it attempt to
serve as propaganda?
7. Does the work propose some form of utopian vision as a solution to the problems
encountered in the work?
8. How has the author’s ideologies and background affect the way he views the economy,
politics or society?
9. How do the time period, social background and culture in which the work was written affect
the portrayal of the political, economic, and social forces?
12. It is first developed in 1980’s,
primarily through the work of the
critic and University of California,
Berkeley English professor Stephen
Greenblatt, and gained widespread
influence in the 1990’s
NEW HISTORICISM
13. NEW HISTORICISM
_______________________________________________________
• NEW HISTORICISM is a literary theory
based on the idea that literature should be studied
andinterpretedwithinthecontextofboththehistoryof the
author and the history ofthe critic.
• The New Historicist also acknowledges that his
examination of literature is "tainted" by his own
culture and environment.
14. NEW HISTORICISM
_______________________________________________________
• Consider traditional and new approaches to
the Tempest by Shakespeare or Florante
at Laura by Francisco Balagtas– both could
be seen from new historical analysis, as play
situated in a period of social anxiety; the
former in the context of Elizabeth era (depict
it asthegoldenageinEnglish history).
15. NEW HISTORICISM
• New Historicism, then, sees
statements in texts not as ideas or as
timeless universals, but as made in
particular places and times by people
located in social and cultural matrix.
_______________________________________________________
16. New Historicism
A new historicism looks at literature in
wider historical context, examining both
how the writer’s time affected the work
and how the work reflects the writer’s
times, in turn recognizing that current
cultural contexts color that critic’s
conclusion.
17. Typical questions:
What language/characters/events present in the work reflect the current events of the
author’s day?
What was the author’s intention in writing the text?/ What provokes the author to write it?
When was the time the text was written?
Are there words in the text that have changed their meaning from the time of the writing?
How are such events interpreted and presented?
Does the work's presentation support or condemn the event?
How does this portrayal criticize the leading political figures or movements of the day?
How does the literary text function as part of a continuum with other historical/cultural
texts from the same period?
How can we use a literary work to "map" the interplay of both traditional and subversive
discourses circulating in the culture in which that work emerged and/or the cultures in
which the work has been interpreted?
What is the message ? And what does it mean to the reader?
18. STYLISTIC CRITICISM
• The methods of stylistic criticism is foremost a
close reading that concentrates on formal aspects
such as rhythm, meter, theme, imagery, metaphor
etc.
• The interpretation of the text shows that these
aspects serve to support the structure of meaning
within the text. Stylistics links literary criticism
and linguistics. It is the study and interpretation of
texts from a linguistic perspective.
19. STYLISTIC CRITICISM
Stylistic Criticism is used for both literary and nonliterary pieces as
well as poetry.
What kind of diction does the author use?
What is the sentence structure?
How does the author treat the subject matter?
What kind of figurative language and imagery does the author use?
What is the point of view?
What is the attitude of the author?
What kind of tone is used?
What is the organization?
20. STYLISTIC CRITICISM
Pros:
Using stylistics makes it easier for the reader to
interpret the piece of work.
They also provide a clearer meaning for the work.
Cons:
Sometimes, a piece can be over-analyzed and the
original meaning of the work can be skewed or even
lost.
21. Applying Stylistics to Jane Eyre
• Charlotte Bronte uses complex language and formal diction
throughout the piece that is characteristic of the time period in which
she wrote it.
• The motifs in Jane Eyre include an emphasis on the supernatural,
especially ghosts and psychic experiences, that occur at important
times to help guide Jane through her experiences.
• Charlotte writes using a dogmatic tone, meaning that the tone is
authoritative.
• There is a large amount of symbolism in Jane Eyre, most of which
involves nature, and religion.
• Bronte allows the reader to read Jane's internal commentary, but she
also explains the situational occurrences that Jane goes through.
22. METAPHORICAL CRITICISM
Analysing text by locating metaphors within texts
and evaluating those metaphors in an effort to better
understand ways in which authors appeal to their
audiences.
Metaphors are not merely figures of speech, but
subconscious mental processes that help us make
sense of our surroundings.
The process of analysing the effectiveness of
metaphors in rhetoric.
23. Sonja K. Foss outlines a four-step procedure for applying
metaphoric criticism to texts:
First, the critic reads or views the entire artifact with specific
attention to its context.
Second, isolate the metaphor(s) within the text.
Third, the critic sorts the metaphors and looks for patterns use
within the text. The more comprehensive the text, the longer
this step will take.
The critic analyzes the metaphor(s) or groups of metaphors in
the artifact to reveal how their structure may affect the intended
audience.
24. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural
Address ( 1933)
Roosevelt’s speech foreshadowed his new deal, a
radical and influential presidential endeavour by any
standard
In Roosevelt’s speech, the United States is fighting a
war ( was not actually fighting a war in 1933, but there
in lies the comparison.
The speech lies in the overt use of the over-all
metaphor.
25. MIMETIC CRITICISM
The word "mimetic" comes from the Greek word
"mimesis," the act of imitation. The mimetic theory
of literary criticism places primary importance on
how well a literary work imitates life. In practice,
mimetic critical theory often asks how well the
literary work conveys universal truths and teaches
the reader positive moral values and modes of
personal conduct.
26. Mimetic
o Mimesis is the idea that art imitates reality
o Mimesis is developed and applied through
mimetic theories of literature, theater and the
visual arts during the Renaissance and the
Enlightenment.
27. Purpose
The primary focus of mimetic criticism is to show
that there is a part of reality that is seen from the
person who wrote the literature
Throughout the content, is showing the readers
either the true or the harshness of the reality which
they are a part of in their particular time period.
28. Some important words related to mimetic criticism
are; moral, reflection, imitation, philosophical, and
nature.
These words are a key concept in mimetic criticism
which form a shape that creates the mimetic
criticism, is if an imagination from another time
period or reality in the real world.
29. 2 Ways to Use Mimesis in Poetry
Vocal mimesis, or writing in a particular accent or
speech pattern that is appropriate for the character.
Behavioral mimesis, in which where characters
respond to scenarios in understandable ways.
30. REFLECTIONS
The discussion about modern literary
criticism served as an eye opening in terms
of the importance of looking at text to
discover some meanings and ideas that exist
in the writing itself.
31. Thus, reading and interpreting the
literature then nourishes us with a sense
of complexity of life’s deepest mysteries-
-love, hate, death, conflicts between the
individual and society that when we
approach these problems we do so with
greater self awareness.
32. References
Louden, Bruce. Homer's Odyssey and the Near East. New York: Cambridge University
Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0521768207
Lowe, N. J. The Classical Plot and the Invention of Western Narrative. New York:
Cambridge University Press, 2000. ISBN 978-0521771764
Wolff, Richard, and Stephen Resnick (August 1987). Economics: Marxian versus
Neoclassical. The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-8018-3480-6.
David Mikics, ed. A New Handbook of Literary Terms, 2007, s.v. "New historicism".
