The following are the methods and approaches that one needs to learn when studying literature or literary pieces.

1. APPROACHES AND
METHODS OF
STUDYING
LITERATURE

2. FORMALISTIC / LITERARY
APPROACH
 Also called “PURE” or “LITERARY”
approach
 The selection is read and viewed
intrinsically, or for itself; independent of
author, age, or any other extrinsic factor.
 This approach is close to the “art for art’s
sake” dictum

3. The study of the selection is
more is more or less based on
the so – called literary elements
which is more or less boil down
to the literal level, the
affective values, the ideational
values, technical values, and
total effects.

4.  The literal level (subject matter)
 The affective values (emotional, mood,
atmosphere, tone attitudes, empathy)
 The ideational values (themes, visions, universal
truths, character)
 Technical Values (plot, structure, scene,
language, point of view, imagery, figure, metrics,
etc.)
 Total Effect (the interrelation of the foregoing
elements)

5. MORAL AND HUMANISTIC
APPROACH
 The nature of man is CENTRAL to literature.
The reader or teacher or critic more or less
“requires” that the piece present MAN AS
ESSENTIALY RATIONAL, that is endowed with
intellect and free will; or that the piece does
not misinterpret the true nature of man

6. In these times of course the TRUE
NATURE OF MAN is hotly contested,
making literature all the more
challenging.
This approach is close to the
“MORALITY” of literature, to the
questions of ethical goodness and
badness

7. HISTORICAL APPROACH
 Sees literature as both a reflection and product of the
times and circumstances in which it is written. Man as a
member of a particular society or nation at a particular
time, is central to the approach and whenever a teacher
gives historical or biographical backgrounds in
introducing a selection, or arranges a literature course
in chronological order, he is hewing close to this
approach.

8.  The historical approach is often suitable
to high school classes, to survey courses,
for “average” classes, and for pieces
tackled or “discovered” for the first
time. It operates on the premise that the
history of a nation has telling effects on
its literature and that a piece can be
better understood and appreciated if one
knows the times around its creation.

9. CULTURAL APPROACH
 Considers literature as one of the principal
manifestation and vehicles of a nation’s or
race’s culture and tradition.
 It includes the entire complex of what goes
under “culture” ---- the technological, the
artistic, the sociological, the ideological
aspects, and considers the literary piece in
the total culture milieu in which it was
born.

10.  This approach in one of the richest
way to arrive at the culture of the
people and one of the most
pleasurable ways of appreciating
the literature of the people. It
goes by the dictum
 “culture teaching through
literature”.

11. PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH
 Set in dizzying motion, principally, by
FREUD, perhaps beyond his wildest
expectations, it considers literature as
the EXPRESSION OF PERSONALITY of
“Inner Drives” of neurosis. It includes
the psychology of the author, of the
character, and even the psychology of
creation.
 It has resulted in an almost exhausting
and exhaustive “psychological analysis”
of the characters of symbols and
images, of recurrent themes, etc.

12. Conclusion
 Formalistic – based on the literary elements
 Moral / Humanistic – close to the morality of literature , to questions
of ethical goodness and badness.
 Historical – sees literature as both a reflection and a product of the
times and circumstances in which it is written.
 Cultural – an approach in knowing the culture of the people and one of
the pleasurable ways of appreciating the literature of the
people.
 Psychological – considers literature as the expression of “personality”,
of “inner drive” of neurosis.