Literary Theories and Criticisms Explained
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This document provides an overview of literary theories and formalism. It begins with an introduction to literary criticism and theory, noting that criticism directly analyzes works while theory can be more abstract. It then discusses formalism, which examines the form and structure of a text itself rather than external contexts. The document provides several examples of formalist perspectives, such as focusing on symbolism, imagery, and the internal workings of the text. It concludes with some limitations of formalism in ignoring biographical details and only analyzing within the text.
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Literary Theories and Criticisms Explained
- 1. Literary Theories and Criticisms Presented by: Christine Joanne Librero-Desacado BSU, PhD in English June 20, 2015 DR. AMADA BANAAG LITT501 PROFESSOR
- 9. Literary criticism is a practical application of literary theory because it always deals directly with particular literary works while literary theory may be more general or abstract.
- 10. Literary theory proposes particular and systematic approaches to a literary texts that impose a particular line of intellectual reasoning to it.
- 11. Most students studying literature trained not simply to be critics of literature but to function as theorist.
- 12. As you exposed to literary theory, take time to carefully consider the argument being made and acquaint yourself with the terminology you are exposed to and not familiar.*
- 14. dangerouslyirrelevant.org Formalism refers to a style of inquiry that focuses, almost exclusively, on features of the literary text itself, to the exclusion of biographical, historical, or intellectual contexts http://www.dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/02/a-taste-of-honey.html
- 15. Formalism examines the relationships between a text's ideas and its form, between what a text says and the way it says it
- 16. technical explicate formal attempts to be a science of literature, with a technical vocabulary emphasizes explication, or "close reading," of "the work itself" aims to classify, categorize, and catalog works according to their formal attributes
- 17. http://flickr.com/photos/kamaji/1434567124/ *attempts to treat each work as its own distinct piece, free from its environment, era, and even author * focuses on the internal workings of the text rather than its external influences Formalism
- 18. http://flickr.com/photos/mcmorr/1294684803/ What is the Formalist Perspective? Literature can be read through a variety of lenses.
- 19. http://flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/497814516/ The formalist perspective concentrates on the form of the literature itself.
- 20. http://flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/497814516/ “Formalist criticism regards literature as a unique form of human knowledge that needs to be examined on its own terms” (Kennedy 1468).
- 22. http://flickr.com/photos/nattu/895220635/ What symbols help convey a message? Questions that may be answered from a formalist perspective include: What is the structure of the piece? What imagery is used? What is the theme?
- 23. http://flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/497814516/ Why Use the Formalist Perspective?
- 24. http://www.flickr.com/photos/cwalker71/2637125074 The formalist perspective began in Russia in the early 1920s.
- 25. http://www.flickr.com/photos/cwalker71/2637125074 *In 1917, the Russian Revolution occurred. *Prior to 1917, Russia romanticized literature and viewed literature from a religious perspective. *After 1917, literature began to be observed and analyzed. The formalist perspective allowed literature to be viewed through a scientific lens. *Formalism allows the reader to analyze a literary piece with complete objectivity.
- 26. http://flickr.com/photos/blackbutterfly/3082335820/ A Formalist View of Literature Discounts or Ignores Certain Aspects of Literature The name of the author is not important.
- 27. http://flickr.com/photos/paulm/1584418819/ *The time in which the author lived is not important. *Any cultural impact on the author’s life is not important. *The political beliefs of the author are not important. *The actual reader is not important.
- 28. http://flickr.com/photos/crash-candy/2347430057/ Formalists Focus on Specific Aspects *Formalists pay special attention to “the formal features of the text – the style, structure, imagery, tone, and genre” (Kennedy 1468). *Not examined in isolation – “what gives a literary text its special status as art is how all its elements work together to create the reader’s total experience” (Kennedy 1468).
- 29. http://flickr.com/photos/crash-candy/2347430057/ Formalists Focus on Specific Aspects “Great literature is “universal.” A universal message is a message that transcends time and culture. A universal message reveals a great truth about the human condition.
- 30. http://flickr.com/photos/crash-candy/2347430057/ Formalists Focus on Specific Aspects Specific passages in great works of literature can be closely analyzed to determine its message and the constructs utilized to convey the message.
- 31. http://flickr.com/photos/crash-candy/2347430057/ Formalists Focus on Specific Aspects Formalists analyze the tension and ambiguity in a piece: 1. Tension: “the way elements of a text’s language reflect conflict and opposition” (DiYanni 1561). 2. Ambiguity: “the ways texts remain open to more than a single, unified definitive interpretation” (DiYanni 1561).
- 33. http://flickr.com/photos/ssh/12638218/ a.Formalists believe that looking at the psychology and biography of the author inform the writing process, not the composition itself (Kennedy 1469). b. Formalism does not evaluate or consider the religious, moral, or political value of a piece. Formalism Ignores Peripheral Aspects
- 34. http://flickr.com/photos/ssh/12638218/ Formalism Ignores Peripheral Aspects c. Formalism does not evaluate or consider symbolism in a piece. d. Formalism strives to force literary or artwork to stand on its own – people (i.e., author, reader) are not considered so the piece can be analyzed as a separate, independent entity. e. Because formalism ignores peripheral aspects, it is very limiting in its effectiveness to analyze literature.
- 36. A Checklist of Formalist Critical Questions How is the work structured or organized? How does it begin? Where does it go next? How does it end? What is the work’s plot? How is its plot related to its structure? What is the relationship of each part of the work to the work as a whole? How are the parts related to one another? Who is narrating or telling what happens in the work? How is the narrator, speaker, or character revealed to readers? How do we come to know and understand this figure? (DiYanni, Robert. Literature Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 2nd ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2008).
- 37. A Checklist of Formalist Critical Questions Who are the major and minor characters, what do they represent, and how do they relate to one another? What are the time and place of the work – its setting? How is the setting related to what we know of the characters and their actions? To what extent is the setting symbolic? What kind of language does the author use to describe, narrate, explain, or otherwise create the world of the literary work? More specifically, what images, similes, metaphors, symbols appear in the work? What is their function? What meanings do they convey? (DiYanni 1562). (DiYanni, Robert. Literature Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 2nd ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2008).
- 39. Hamlet • See other presentation
- 41. end
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