This document provides guidance on applying literary theories to analyze texts. It explains that perspectives are guided by underlying thoughts or ideologies called theories. Different theories like Marxism and feminism can be used as analytical "lenses" to reveal important aspects of a work. The document then provides examples of analyzing images and passages using these theoretical lenses to uncover different interpretations. Readers are encouraged to re-read texts while focusing on a particular theory, noting elements like characters' positions and language use. Key steps are outlined for theoretical analysis, including introducing a theory, summarizing the text, and comprehensively analyzing it through the theoretical framework.

1. How to apply theories
to read literary texts!!
Prepared by Prakash Paudel

2. What do you see in it?

3. What is and what we see?
 We can interpret the same event or phenomena from multiple
angles or perspectives
 Such perspectives are guided by certain thoughts
 These thoughts are called ideologies or, in other words, theories
 For example the same picture can be read using multiple concepts
 We can use ………………………………………………..concepts to interpret it.
 Therefore there is difference between what is and what we find.

4. So………………..
Literary criticism is the method used to
interpret any given work of literature.
The different schools of literary criticism
provide us with lenses which ultimately
reveal important aspects of the literary
work.

5. Lets try now………
 if we use Marxism, the picture
shows how bourgeoisie suppresses
the proletariats who have nothing
to claim of their own.
 The hand that is used to suppress
is the embodiment of bourgeois
 The bent one is crushed under the
pressure of the owner of the
means of production, bourgeoisie
 Hence, the picture is the true
representation of the proletariats
 But if we use feminism, the
hand symbolizes the patriarchy
which intends to suppress a
female as shown in the picture
and it becomes a true depiction
of our social phenomenon
 The dark figure under the hand
is no other than a helpless
female who has to be under the
extreme pressure of male
chauvinism
 Hence, the picture becomes
the true representation of
female of our society

6. Now lets try with certain sentences
Ann brushed her husband’s shoes although her husband
was in leisure and he had known how to do shoe
polishing.
Gongalez found the dark being reflected on the mirror
as he stood in front of it.
The boss forced Ram to resign. The innocent and poor
Ram left the job and turned into a helpless person.

7. How to do????????
 Step one : Read the poem or excerpt twice or thrice
 Step two : Be sure of the theory that you are supposed to use
 Step three: Remember the key words of the theory like… “female
imagery, male imagery, commodification, reification”, and such others
 Step four : read the poem or the excerpt once again with the theory in
your mind
 Step five : if you are using structuralism/ New Criticism/
Deconstruction, you have to be careful of the language use
 Step six : find who is speaking? to whom? about what?
 Check their position
Who is in subject position and who is in object position?

8. Wait a while………………………..
Start thinking about……….
Your answer
plan…..
You can do it at
the side of the
page or else
where

9. Sample answer plan:……………
Paragraph one: a quick theoretical introduction of
the text with a supposed conclusion
Paragraph two : the general summary of the poem
Paragraph three : brief theoretical explanation with
the reference to the poem( introduce the theoretical
terminologies)
Paragraph four : a comprehensive analysis of the
poem
Paragraph five : Conclusion( it is the rephrase of the
introduction)

10. Let’s try out this poem
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold.

11. First paragraph
The given poem “…..title..”, written by “…..if the poet’s name
is given..”, describes the guilty psychology of a person who has
just eaten the preserved plums which were in the icebox. The
persona asks for forgiveness. From psychoanalytical perspective,
the poem is the revelation of the guilty psychology of the
persona who has eaten the plums with out any permission. The
persona has eaten the forbidden fruit. The plums are soft and
tender, the embodiment of female imagery. So, the persona, who
is a male, is begging pardon with his female friend, after
committing a serious mistake of stealing something preserved by
her, the virginity.

12. Second Paragraph( a general summary)
This descriptive poem is set in a house where the persona has done a
serious crime and is, now, apologetically asking for excuse. He has
visited the kitchen where all the cooking materials and food are
stored. Without taking the permission from a rightful person, the
persona has bumped into the kitchen and sneaked into the icebox.
The plums, sweet and juicy fruit, are found there. Immediately, the
persona gulps them. No sooner he eats them, he realizes that those
might have been saved for breakfast. Regarding the plums, he
explains that those were delicious, sweet and cold. These words
‘delicious’, ‘sweet’ and ‘cold’ reflect the sensual imagery. After all,
the poem is all about asking for excuse after committing a mistake of
eating the plums without any permission from the concerned person.
This shows how much does one realize the guilt after committing it.

13. Finally………………….
Gramercy
Keep working………………………..
Good Luck